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Mantovani F, Kitsou K, Magiorkinis G. HERVs: Expression Control Mechanisms and Interactions in Diseases and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection. Genes (Basel) 2024; 15:192. [PMID: 38397182 PMCID: PMC10888493 DOI: 10.3390/genes15020192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 01/27/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are the result of retroviral infections acquired millions of years ago; nowadays, they compose around 8% of human DNA. Multiple mechanisms have been employed for endogenous retroviral deactivation, rendering replication and retrotransposition defective, while some of them have been co-opted to serve host evolutionary advantages. A pleiad of mechanisms retains the delicate balance of HERV expression in modern humans. Thus, epigenetic modifications, such as DNA and histone methylation, acetylation, deamination, chromatin remodeling, and even post-transcriptional control are recruited. In this review, we aim to summarize the main HERV silencing pathways, revisit paradigms of human disease with a HERV component, and emphasize the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and HERV interactions during HIV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Gkikas Magiorkinis
- Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece; (F.M.); (K.K.)
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Zanrè V, Bellinato F, Cardile A, Passarini C, Monticelli J, Di Bella S, Menegazzi M. Lamivudine, Doravirine, and Cabotegravir Downregulate the Expression of Human Endogenous Retroviruses (HERVs), Inhibit Cell Growth, and Reduce Invasive Capability in Melanoma Cell Lines. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:1615. [PMID: 38338893 PMCID: PMC10855363 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25031615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
This study explores the impact of antiretroviral administration on the expression of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs), cell growth, and invasive capability of human melanoma cell lines in culture. We investigated three antiretrovirals-lamivudine, doravirine, and cabotegravir-in A375, FO-1, and SK-Mel-28, BRAF-mutated, and in MeWo, P53-mutated, melanoma cell lines. The findings indicate a general capability of these drugs to downregulate the expression of HERV-K Pol and Env genes and hinder cell viability, mobility, and colony formation capacity of melanoma cells. The antiretroviral drugs also demonstrate selectivity against malignant cells, sparing normal human epithelial melanocytes. The study reveals that the integrase inhibitor cabotegravir is particularly effective in inhibiting cell growth and invasion across different cell lines in comparison with lamivudine and doravirine, which are inhibitors of the viral reverse transcriptase enzyme. The investigation further delves into the molecular mechanisms underlying the observed effects, highlighting the potential induction of ferroptosis, apoptosis, and alterations in cell cycle regulatory proteins. Our findings showed cytostatic effects principally revealed in A375, and SK-Mel-28 cell lines through a downregulation of retinoblastoma protein phosphorylation and/or cyclin D1 expression. Signs of ferroptosis were detected in both A375 cells and FO-1 cells by a decrease in glutathione peroxidase 4 and ferritin expression, as well as by an increase in transferrin protein levels. Apoptosis was also detected in FO-1 and SK-Mel-28, but only with cabotegravir treatment. Moreover, we explored the expression and activity of the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) protein and its correlation with programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression. Both the STING activity and PD-L1 expression were decreased, suggesting that the antiretroviral treatments may counteract the detrimental effects of PD-L1 expression activation through the STING/interferon pathway triggered by HERV-K. Finally, this study underscores the potential therapeutic significance of cabotegravir in melanoma treatment. The findings also raise the prospect of using antiretroviral drugs to downregulate PD-L1 expression, potentially enhancing the therapeutic responses of immune checkpoint inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Zanrè
- Section of Biochemistry, Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Strada Le Grazie, 8, 37134 Verona, Italy; (V.Z.); (A.C.); (C.P.)
| | - Francesco Bellinato
- Section of Dermatology and Venereology, Department of Medicine, University of Verona, Piazzale Stefani 1, 37126 Verona, Italy;
| | - Alessia Cardile
- Section of Biochemistry, Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Strada Le Grazie, 8, 37134 Verona, Italy; (V.Z.); (A.C.); (C.P.)
| | - Carlotta Passarini
- Section of Biochemistry, Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Strada Le Grazie, 8, 37134 Verona, Italy; (V.Z.); (A.C.); (C.P.)
| | - Jacopo Monticelli
- Infectious Diseases Unit, Trieste University Hospital (ASUGI), Piazza dell’Ospitale 1, 34129 Trieste, Italy;
| | - Stefano Di Bella
- Clinical Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Piazzale Europa 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy;
| | - Marta Menegazzi
- Section of Biochemistry, Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Strada Le Grazie, 8, 37134 Verona, Italy; (V.Z.); (A.C.); (C.P.)
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Noubissi FK, Odubanjo OV, Ogle BM, Tchounwou PB. Mechanisms of Cell Fusion in Cancer. Results Probl Cell Differ 2024; 71:407-432. [PMID: 37996688 PMCID: PMC10893907 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-37936-9_19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
Cell-cell fusion is a normal physiological mechanism that requires a well-orchestrated regulation of intracellular and extracellular factors. Dysregulation of this process could lead to diseases such as osteoporosis, malformation of muscles, difficulties in pregnancy, and cancer. Extensive literature demonstrates that fusion occurs between cancer cells and other cell types to potentially promote cancer progression and metastasis. However, the mechanisms governing this process in cancer initiation, promotion, and progression are less well-studied. Fusogens involved in normal physiological processes such as syncytins and associated factors such as phosphatidylserine and annexins have been observed to be critical in cancer cell fusion as well. Some of the extracellular factors associated with cancer cell fusion include chronic inflammation and inflammatory cytokines, hypoxia, and viral infection. The interaction between these extracellular factors and cell's intrinsic factors potentially modulates actin dynamics to drive the fusion of cancer cells. In this review, we have discussed the different mechanisms that have been identified or postulated to drive cancer cell fusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felicite K Noubissi
- Department of Biology, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS, USA.
- Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI), Center for Health Disparity Research (RCMI-CHDR), Jackson State University, Jackson, MS, USA.
| | - Oluwatoyin V Odubanjo
- Department of Biology, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS, USA
- Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI), Center for Health Disparity Research (RCMI-CHDR), Jackson State University, Jackson, MS, USA
| | - Brenda M Ogle
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Paul B Tchounwou
- Department of Biology, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS, USA
- Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI), Center for Health Disparity Research (RCMI-CHDR), Jackson State University, Jackson, MS, USA
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4
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Chang YS, Hsu MH, Chung CC, Chen HD, Tu SJ, Lee YT, Yen JC, Liu TC, Chang JG. Comprehensive Analysis and Drug Modulation of Human Endogenous Retrovirus in Hepatocellular Carcinomas. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:3664. [PMID: 37509325 PMCID: PMC10377948 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15143664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Revised: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) play an important role in the development of cancer and many diseases. Here, we comprehensively explored the impact of HERVs on hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs). METHODS We employed Telescope to identify HERVs and quantify their expression in the total RNA sequencing data obtained from 254 HCC samples, comprising 254 tumor tissues and 34 matched normal tissues. RESULTS In total, 3357 locus-specific activations of HERVs were differentially expressed, and 180 were correlated with patient survival. Using these 180 HERVs for classification, we found four subgroups with survival correlation. Higher expression levels of the 180 HERVs were correlated with poorer survival, while age, AFP, some mutations, and copy and structural variants differed among subgroups. The differential expression of host genes in high expression of these 180 HERVs primarily involved the activation of pathways related to immunity and infection, lipid and atherosclerosis, MAPK and NF-kB signaling, and cytokine-cytokine receptor interactions. Conversely, there was a suppression of pathways associated with RNA processing, including nucleocytoplasmic transport, surveillance and ribosome biogenesis, and transcriptional misregulation in cancer pathways. Almost all genes involved in HERV activation restriction, KRAB zinc finger proteins, RNA nucleocytoplasmic transport, stemness, HLA and antigen processing and presentation, and immune checkpoints were overexpressed in cancerous tissues, and many over-expressed HERV-related nearby genes were correlated with high HERV activation and poor survival. Twenty-three immune and stromal cells showed higher expression in non-cancerous than cancerous tissues, and seven were correlated with HERV activation. Small-molecule modulation of alternative splicing (AS) altered the expression of survival-related HERVs and their activation-related genes, as well as nearby genes. CONCLUSION Comprehensive and integrated approaches for evaluating HERV expression and their correlation with specific pathways have the potential to provide new companion diagnostics and therapeutic strategies for HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ya-Sian Chang
- Center for Precision Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan
- Epigenome Research Center, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan
- School of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Hon Hsu
- Center for Precision Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan
- Epigenome Research Center, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan
| | - Chin-Chun Chung
- Center for Precision Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan
- Epigenome Research Center, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan
| | - Hong-Da Chen
- Center for Precision Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan
- Epigenome Research Center, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan
| | - Siang-Jyun Tu
- Center for Precision Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan
- Epigenome Research Center, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan
| | - Ya-Ting Lee
- Center for Precision Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan
- Epigenome Research Center, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan
| | - Ju-Chen Yen
- Center for Precision Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan
- Epigenome Research Center, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan
| | - Ta-Chih Liu
- Department of Hematology-Oncology, Chang Bing Show Chwan Memorial Hospital, Changhua 50544, Taiwan
| | - Jan-Gowth Chang
- Center for Precision Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan
- Epigenome Research Center, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan
- School of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan
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5
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Shah AH, Rivas SR, Doucet-O'Hare TT, Govindarajan V, DeMarino C, Wang T, Ampie L, Zhang Y, Banasavadi-Siddegowda YK, Walbridge S, Maric D, Garcia-Montojo M, Suter RK, Lee MH, Zaghloul KA, Steiner J, Elkahloun AG, Chandar J, Seetharam D, Desgraves J, Li W, Johnson K, Ivan ME, Komotar RJ, Gilbert MR, Heiss JD, Nath A. Human endogenous retrovirus K contributes to a stem cell niche in glioblastoma. J Clin Invest 2023; 133:e167929. [PMID: 37395282 DOI: 10.1172/jci167929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are ancestral viral relics that constitute nearly 8% of the human genome. Although normally silenced, the most recently integrated provirus HERV-K (HML-2) can be reactivated in certain cancers. Here, we report pathological expression of HML-2 in malignant gliomas in both cerebrospinal fluid and tumor tissue that was associated with a cancer stem cell phenotype and poor outcomes. Using single-cell RNA-Seq, we identified glioblastoma cellular populations with elevated HML-2 transcripts in neural progenitor-like cells (NPC-like) that drive cellular plasticity. Using CRISPR interference, we demonstrate that HML-2 critically maintained glioblastoma stemness and tumorigenesis in both glioblastoma neurospheres and intracranial orthotopic murine models. Additionally, we demonstrate that HML-2 critically regulated embryonic stem cell programs in NPC-derived astroglia and altered their 3D cellular morphology by activating the nuclear transcription factor OCT4, which binds to an HML-2-specific long-terminal repeat (LTR5Hs). Moreover, we discovered that some glioblastoma cells formed immature retroviral virions, and inhibiting HML-2 expression with antiretroviral drugs reduced reverse transcriptase activity in the extracellular compartment, tumor viability, and pluripotency. Our results suggest that HML-2 fundamentally contributes to the glioblastoma stem cell niche. Because persistence of glioblastoma stem cells is considered responsible for treatment resistance and recurrence, HML-2 may serve as a unique therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashish H Shah
- University of Miami School of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Sarah R Rivas
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Tara T Doucet-O'Hare
- Neuro-Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Vaidya Govindarajan
- University of Miami School of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Catherine DeMarino
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Tongguang Wang
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Leonel Ampie
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Yong Zhang
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Stuart Walbridge
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Dragan Maric
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Marta Garcia-Montojo
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Robert K Suter
- Georgetown University, Bioinformatics Section, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Myoung-Hwa Lee
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Kareem A Zaghloul
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Joseph Steiner
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Abdel G Elkahloun
- Cancer Genetics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Jay Chandar
- University of Miami School of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Deepa Seetharam
- University of Miami School of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Jelisah Desgraves
- University of Miami School of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Wenxue Li
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Kory Johnson
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Michael E Ivan
- University of Miami School of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Ricardo J Komotar
- University of Miami School of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Mark R Gilbert
- Neuro-Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - John D Heiss
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Avindra Nath
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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6
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Ansari S, Gupta N, Verma R, Singh ON, Gupta J, Kumar A, Yadav MK, Binayke A, Tiwari M, Periwal N, Sood V, Mani S, Awasthi A, Shalimar, Nayak B, Ranjith‐Kumar CT, Surjit M. Antiviral activity of the human endogenous retrovirus‐R envelope protein against SARS‐CoV‐2. EMBO Rep 2023; 24:e55900. [PMCID: PMC10328075 DOI: 10.15252/embr.202255900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus‐induced disease‐19 (COVID‐19), caused by SARS‐CoV‐2, is still a major global health challenge. Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) represent retroviral elements that were integrated into the ancestral human genome. HERVs are important in embryonic development as well as in the manifestation of diseases, including cancer, inflammation, and viral infections. Here, we analyze the expression of several HERVs in SARS‐CoV‐2‐infected cells and observe increased activity of HERV‐E, HERV‐V, HERV‐FRD, HERV‐MER34, HERV‐W, and HERV‐K‐HML2. In contrast, the HERV‐R envelope is downregulated in cell‐based models and PBMCs of COVID‐19 patients. Overexpression of HERV‐R inhibits SARS‐CoV‐2 replication, suggesting its antiviral activity. Further analyses demonstrate the role of the extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK) in regulating HERV‐R antiviral activity. Lastly, our data indicate that the crosstalk between ERK and p38 MAPK controls the synthesis of the HERV‐R envelope protein, which in turn modulates SARS‐CoV‐2 replication. These findings suggest the role of the HERV‐R envelope as a prosurvival host factor against SARS‐CoV‐2 and illustrate a possible advantage of integration and evolutionary maintenance of retroviral elements in the human genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shabnam Ansari
- Virology LaboratoryTranslational Health Science and Technology Institute, NCR Biotech Science ClusterFaridabadIndia
| | - Nidhi Gupta
- Virology LaboratoryTranslational Health Science and Technology Institute, NCR Biotech Science ClusterFaridabadIndia
- Present address:
Department of BiochemistryAll India Institute of Medical SciencesNew DelhiIndia
| | - Rohit Verma
- Virology LaboratoryTranslational Health Science and Technology Institute, NCR Biotech Science ClusterFaridabadIndia
| | - Oinam N Singh
- Virology LaboratoryTranslational Health Science and Technology Institute, NCR Biotech Science ClusterFaridabadIndia
| | - Jyoti Gupta
- Virology LaboratoryTranslational Health Science and Technology Institute, NCR Biotech Science ClusterFaridabadIndia
| | - Amit Kumar
- Virology LaboratoryTranslational Health Science and Technology Institute, NCR Biotech Science ClusterFaridabadIndia
| | - Mukesh Kumar Yadav
- Virology LaboratoryTranslational Health Science and Technology Institute, NCR Biotech Science ClusterFaridabadIndia
| | - Akshay Binayke
- Immunobiology LaboratoryTranslational Health Science and Technology Institute, NCR Biotech Science ClusterFaridabadIndia
| | - Mahima Tiwari
- Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, NCR Biotech Science ClusterFaridabadIndia
| | - Neha Periwal
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Chemical and Life SciencesJamia Hamdard UniversityNew DelhiIndia
| | - Vikas Sood
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Chemical and Life SciencesJamia Hamdard UniversityNew DelhiIndia
| | - Shailendra Mani
- Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, NCR Biotech Science ClusterFaridabadIndia
| | - Amit Awasthi
- Immunobiology LaboratoryTranslational Health Science and Technology Institute, NCR Biotech Science ClusterFaridabadIndia
| | - Shalimar
- Department of GastroenterologyAll India Institute of Medical SciencesNew DelhiIndia
| | - Baibaswata Nayak
- Department of GastroenterologyAll India Institute of Medical SciencesNew DelhiIndia
| | - CT Ranjith‐Kumar
- University School of Biotechnology, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha UniversityNew DelhiIndia
| | - Milan Surjit
- Virology LaboratoryTranslational Health Science and Technology Institute, NCR Biotech Science ClusterFaridabadIndia
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7
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Russo L, Capra E, Franceschi V, Cavazzini D, Sala R, Lazzari B, Cavirani S, Donofrio G. Characterization of BoHV-4 ORF45. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1171770. [PMID: 37234529 PMCID: PMC10206056 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1171770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Bovine herpesvirus 4 (BoHV-4) is a Gammaherpesvirus belonging to the Rhadinovirus genus. The bovine is BoHV-4's natural host, and the African buffalo is BoHV-4's natural reservoir. In any case, BoHV-4 infection is not associated with a specific disease. Genome structure and genes are well-conserved in Gammaherpesvirus, and the orf 45 gene and its product, ORF45, are one of those. BoHV-4 ORF45 has been suggested to be a tegument protein; however, its structure and function have not yet been experimentally characterized. The present study shows that BoHV-4 ORF45, despite its poor homology with other characterized Rhadinovirus ORF45s, is structurally related to Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), is a phosphoprotein, and localizes in the host cell nuclei. Through the generation of an ORF45-null mutant BoHV-4 and its pararevertant, it was possible to demonstrate that ORF45 is essential for BoHV-4 lytic replication and is associated with the viral particles, as for the other characterized Rhadinovirus ORF45s. Finally, the impact of BoHV-4 ORF45 on cellular transcriptome was investigated, an aspect poorly explored or not at all for other Gammaherpesvirus. Many cellular transcriptional pathways were found to be altered, mainly those involving p90 ribosomal S6 kinase (RSK) and signal-regulated kinase (ERK) complex (RSK/ERK). It was concluded that BoHV-4 ORF45 has similar characteristics to those of KSHV ORF45, and its unique and incisive impact on the cell transcriptome paves the way for further investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Russo
- Dipartimento di Scienze Medico Veterinarie, Università di Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Emanuele Capra
- Istituto di Biologia e Biotecnologia Agraria, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche IBBA CNR, Lodi, Italy
| | | | - Davide Cavazzini
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, della Vita e della Sostenibilità Ambientale, Università di Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Roberto Sala
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia, Università di Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Barbara Lazzari
- Istituto di Biologia e Biotecnologia Agraria, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche IBBA CNR, Lodi, Italy
| | - Sandro Cavirani
- Dipartimento di Scienze Medico Veterinarie, Università di Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Gaetano Donofrio
- Dipartimento di Scienze Medico Veterinarie, Università di Parma, Parma, Italy
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8
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Abstract
Our defenses against infection rely on the ability of the immune system to distinguish invading pathogens from self. This task is exceptionally challenging, if not seemingly impossible, in the case of retroviruses that have integrated almost seamlessly into the host. This review examines the limits of innate and adaptive immune responses elicited by endogenous retroviruses and other retroelements, the targets of immune recognition, and the consequences for host health and disease. Contrary to theoretical expectation, endogenous retroelements retain substantial immunogenicity, which manifests most profoundly when their epigenetic repression is compromised, contributing to autoinflammatory and autoimmune disease and age-related inflammation. Nevertheless, recent evidence suggests that regulated immune reactivity to endogenous retroelements is integral to immune system development and function, underpinning cancer immunosurveillance, resistance to infection, and responses to the microbiota. Elucidation of the interaction points with endogenous retroelements will therefore deepen our understanding of immune system function and contribution to disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- George Kassiotis
- Retroviral Immunology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom;
- Department of Infectious Disease, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
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9
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Dittmar T, Hass R. Intrinsic signalling factors associated with cancer cell-cell fusion. Cell Commun Signal 2023; 21:68. [PMID: 37016404 PMCID: PMC10071245 DOI: 10.1186/s12964-023-01085-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Cellular fusion e.g. between cancer cells and normal cells represents a stepwise process that is tightly regulated. During a pre-hybrid preparation program somatic cells and/or cancer cells are promoted to a pro-fusogenic state as a prerequisite to prepare a fusion process. A pro-fusogenic state requires significant changes including restructure of the cytoskeleton, e.g., by the formation of F-actin. Moreover, distinct plasma membrane lipids such as phosphatidylserine play an important role during cell fusion. In addition, the expression of distinct fusogenic factors such as syncytins and corresponding receptors are of fundamental importance to enable cellular mergers. Subsequent hybrid formation and fusion are followed by a post-hybrid selection process. Fusion among normal cells is important and often required during organismal development. Cancer cells fusion appears more rarely and is associated with the generation of new cancer hybrid cell populations. These cancer hybrid cells contribute to an elevated tumour plasticity by altered metastatic behaviour, changes in therapeutic and apoptotic responses, and even in the formation of cancer stem/ initiating cells. While many parts within this multi-step cascade are still poorly understood, this review article predominantly focusses on the intracellular necessities for fusion among cancer cells or with other cell populations of the tumour microenvironment. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Dittmar
- Institute of Immunology, Centre for Biomedical Education and Research (ZBAF), Witten/Herdecke University, Stockumer Str. 10, 58448, Witten, Germany.
| | - Ralf Hass
- Biochemistry and Tumor Biology Laboratory, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Hannover Medical School, 30625, Hannover, Germany.
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10
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Hosseiniporgham S, Sechi LA. Anti-HERV-K Drugs and Vaccines, Possible Therapies against Tumors. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:vaccines11040751. [PMID: 37112663 PMCID: PMC10144246 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11040751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The footprint of human endogenous retroviruses (HERV), specifically HERV-K, has been found in malignancies, such as melanoma, teratocarcinoma, osteosarcoma, breast cancer, lymphoma, and ovary and prostate cancers. HERV-K is characterized as the most biologically active HERV due to possession of open reading frames (ORF) for all Gag, Pol, and Env genes, which enables it to be more infective and obstructive towards specific cell lines and other exogenous viruses, respectively. Some factors might contribute to carcinogenicity and at least one of them has been recognized in various tumors, including overexpression/methylation of long interspersed nuclear element 1 (LINE-1), HERV-K Gag, and Env genes themselves plus their transcripts and protein products, and HERV-K reverse transcriptase (RT). Therapies effective for HERV-K-associated tumors mostly target invasive autoimmune responses or growth of tumors through suppression of HERV-K Gag or Env protein and RT. To design new therapeutic options, more studies are needed to better understand whether HERV-K and its products (Gag/Env transcripts and HERV-K proteins/RT) are the initiators of tumor formation or just the disorder’s developers. Accordingly, this review aims to present evidence that highlights the association between HERV-K and tumorigenicity and introduces some of the available or potential therapies against HERV-K-induced tumors.
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Stricker E, Peckham-Gregory EC, Scheurer ME. HERVs and Cancer-A Comprehensive Review of the Relationship of Human Endogenous Retroviruses and Human Cancers. Biomedicines 2023; 11:936. [PMID: 36979914 PMCID: PMC10046157 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11030936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Revised: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Genomic instability and genetic mutations can lead to exhibition of several cancer hallmarks in affected cells such as sustained proliferative signaling, evasion of growth suppression, activated invasion, deregulation of cellular energetics, and avoidance of immune destruction. Similar biological changes have been observed to be a result of pathogenic viruses and, in some cases, have been linked to virus-induced cancers. Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs), once external pathogens, now occupy more than 8% of the human genome, representing the merge of genomic and external factors. In this review, we outline all reported effects of HERVs on cancer development and discuss the HERV targets most suitable for cancer treatments as well as ongoing clinical trials for HERV-targeting drugs. We reviewed all currently available reports of the effects of HERVs on human cancers including solid tumors, lymphomas, and leukemias. Our review highlights the central roles of HERV genes, such as gag, env, pol, np9, and rec in immune regulation, checkpoint blockade, cell differentiation, cell fusion, proliferation, metastasis, and cell transformation. In addition, we summarize the involvement of HERV long terminal repeat (LTR) regions in transcriptional regulation, creation of fusion proteins, expression of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and promotion of genome instability through recombination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik Stricker
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77047, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77047, USA
| | | | - Michael E. Scheurer
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77047, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77047, USA
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12
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Wei Y, Han S, Wen J, Liao J, Liang J, Yu J, Chen X, Xiang S, Huang Z, Zhang B. E26 transformation-specific transcription variant 5 in development and cancer: modification, regulation and function. J Biomed Sci 2023; 30:17. [PMID: 36872348 PMCID: PMC9987099 DOI: 10.1186/s12929-023-00909-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2023] Open
Abstract
E26 transformation-specific (ETS) transcription variant 5 (ETV5), also known as ETS-related molecule (ERM), exerts versatile functions in normal physiological processes, including branching morphogenesis, neural system development, fertility, embryonic development, immune regulation, and cell metabolism. In addition, ETV5 is repeatedly found to be overexpressed in multiple malignant tumors, where it is involved in cancer progression as an oncogenic transcription factor. Its roles in cancer metastasis, proliferation, oxidative stress response and drug resistance indicate that it is a potential prognostic biomarker, as well as a therapeutic target for cancer treatment. Post-translational modifications, gene fusion events, sophisticated cellular signaling crosstalk and non-coding RNAs contribute to the dysregulation and abnormal activities of ETV5. However, few studies to date systematically summarized the role and molecular mechanisms of ETV5 in benign diseases and in oncogenic progression. In this review, we specify the molecular structure and post-translational modifications of ETV5. In addition, its critical roles in benign and malignant diseases are summarized to draw a panorama for specialists and clinicians. The updated molecular mechanisms of ETV5 in cancer biology and tumor progression are delineated. Finally, we prospect the further direction of ETV5 research in oncology and its potential translational applications in the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Wei
- Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Clinical Medical Research Center of Hepatic Surgery at Hubei Province, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreatic-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Shenqi Han
- Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Clinical Medical Research Center of Hepatic Surgery at Hubei Province, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreatic-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Jingyuan Wen
- Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Clinical Medical Research Center of Hepatic Surgery at Hubei Province, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreatic-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Jingyu Liao
- Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Clinical Medical Research Center of Hepatic Surgery at Hubei Province, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreatic-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Junnan Liang
- Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Clinical Medical Research Center of Hepatic Surgery at Hubei Province, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreatic-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Jingjing Yu
- Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Clinical Medical Research Center of Hepatic Surgery at Hubei Province, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreatic-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiaoping Chen
- Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Clinical Medical Research Center of Hepatic Surgery at Hubei Province, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreatic-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Ministry of Education, Wuhan, China
- Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, National Health Commission, Wuhan, China
- Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Shuai Xiang
- Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
- Clinical Medical Research Center of Hepatic Surgery at Hubei Province, Wuhan, China.
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreatic-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
| | - Zhao Huang
- Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
- Clinical Medical Research Center of Hepatic Surgery at Hubei Province, Wuhan, China.
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreatic-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
| | - Bixiang Zhang
- Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
- Clinical Medical Research Center of Hepatic Surgery at Hubei Province, Wuhan, China.
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreatic-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
- Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Ministry of Education, Wuhan, China.
- Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, National Health Commission, Wuhan, China.
- Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Wuhan, China.
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13
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Saha B, Vannucci L, Saha B, Tenti P, Baral R. Evolvability and emergence of tumor heterogeneity as a space-time function. Cytokine 2023; 161:156061. [PMID: 36252436 DOI: 10.1016/j.cyto.2022.156061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The loss of control of cell proliferation, apoptosis regulation and contact inhibition leads to tumor development. While benign tumors are restricted to their primary space, i.e. where these tumors first originate, the metastatic tumors not only disseminate- facilitated by hypoxia-driven neovascularization- to distant secondary sites but also show substantial changes in metabolism, tissue architectures, gene expression profiles and immune phenotypes. All these alterations result in radio-, chemo- and immune-resistance rendering these metastatic tumor cells refractory to therapy. Since the beginning of the transformation, these factors- which influence each other- are incorporated to the developing and metastasizing tumor. As a result, the complexities in the heterogeneity of tumor progressively increase. This space-time function in the heterogeneity of tumors is generated by various conditions and factors at the genetic as well as microenvironmental levels, for example, endogenous retroviruses, methylation and epigenetic dysregulation that may be etiology-specific, cancer associated inflammation, remodeling of the extracellular matrix and mesenchymal cell shifted functions. On the one hand, these factors may cause de-differentiation of the tumor cells leading to cancer stem cells that contribute to radio-, chemo- and immune-resistance and recurrence of tumors. On the other hand, they may also enhance the heterogeneity under specific microenvironment-driven proliferation. In this editorial, we intend to underline the importance of heterogeneity in cancer progress, its evaluation and its use in correlation with the tumor evolution in a specific patient as a field of research for achieving precise patient-tailored treatments and amelioration of diagnostic (monitoring) tools and prognostic capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bhaskar Saha
- National Centre for Cell Science, Ganeshkhind, Pune 411007, India.
| | - Luca Vannucci
- Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Videnska 1083, Praha, Czech Republic.
| | - Baibaswata Saha
- Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Videnska 1083, Praha, Czech Republic
| | - Paolo Tenti
- Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Videnska 1083, Praha, Czech Republic
| | - Rathindranath Baral
- Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute, Shyamaprasad Mukherjee Road, Calcutta 700026, India.
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Dittmar T, Hass R. Extracellular Events Involved in Cancer Cell-Cell Fusion. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232416071. [PMID: 36555709 PMCID: PMC9784959 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232416071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Fusion among different cell populations represents a rare process that is mediated by both intrinsic and extracellular events. Cellular hybrid formation is relayed by orchestrating tightly regulated signaling pathways that can involve both normal and neoplastic cells. Certain important cell merger processes are often required during distinct organismal and tissue development, including placenta and skeletal muscle. In a neoplastic environment, however, cancer cell fusion can generate new cancer hybrid cells. Following survival during a subsequent post-hybrid selection process (PHSP), the new cancer hybrid cells express different tumorigenic properties. These can include elevated proliferative capacity, increased metastatic potential, resistance to certain therapeutic compounds, and formation of cancer stem-like cells, all of which characterize significantly enhanced tumor plasticity. However, many parts within this multi-step cascade are still poorly understood. Aside from intrinsic factors, cell fusion is particularly affected by extracellular conditions, including an inflammatory microenvironment, viruses, pH and ionic stress, hypoxia, and exosome signaling. Accordingly, the present review article will primarily highlight the influence of extracellular events that contribute to cell fusion in normal and tumorigenic tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Dittmar
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Biomedical Education and Research (ZBAF), Witten/Herdecke University, Stockumer Str. 10, 58448 Witten, Germany
- Correspondence: (T.D.); (R.H.); Tel.: +49-2302-926165 (T.D.); +49-5115-326070 (R.H.)
| | - Ralf Hass
- Biochemistry and Tumor Biology Laboratory, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany
- Correspondence: (T.D.); (R.H.); Tel.: +49-2302-926165 (T.D.); +49-5115-326070 (R.H.)
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15
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Agoni L. Alternative and aberrant splicing of human endogenous retroviruses in cancer. What about head and neck? —A mini review. Front Oncol 2022; 12:1019085. [PMID: 36338752 PMCID: PMC9631305 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.1019085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are transcribed in many cancer types, including head and neck cancer. Because of accumulating mutations at proviral loci over evolutionary time, HERVs are functionally defective and cannot complete their viral life cycle. Despite that, HERV transcripts, including full-length viral RNAs and viral RNAs spliced as expected at the conventional viral splice sites, can be detected in particular conditions, such as cancer. Interestingly, non-viral–related transcription, including aberrant, non-conventionally spliced RNAs, has been reported as well. The role of HERV transcription in cancer and its contribution to oncogenesis or progression are still debated. Nonetheless, HERVs may constitute a suitable cancer biomarker or a target for therapy. Thus, ongoing research aims both to clarify the basic mechanisms underlying HERV transcription in cancer and to exploit its potential toward clinical application. In this mini-review, we summarize the current knowledge, the most recent findings, and the future perspectives of research on HERV transcription and splicing, with particular focus on head and neck cancer.
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Rivas SR, Valdez MJM, Govindarajan V, Seetharam D, Doucet-O’Hare TT, Heiss JD, Shah AH. The Role of HERV-K in Cancer Stemness. Viruses 2022; 14:v14092019. [PMID: 36146825 PMCID: PMC9504571 DOI: 10.3390/v14092019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Human endogenous retrovirus-K (HERV-K) is the most recently integrated retrovirus in the human genome, with implications for multiple disorders, including cancer. Although typically transcriptionally silenced in normal adult cells, dysregulation of HERV-K (HML-2) elements has been observed in cancer, including breast, germ cell tumors, pancreatic, melanoma, and brain cancer. While multiple methods of carcinogenesis have been proposed, here we discuss the role of HERV-K (HML-2) in the promotion and maintenance of the stem-cell in cancer. Aberrant expression of HERV-K has been shown to promote expression of stem cell markers and promote dedifferentiation. In this review, we discuss HERV-K (HML-2) as a potential therapeutic target based on evidence that some tumors depend on the expression of its proteins for survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah R. Rivas
- Surgical Neurology Branch, National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
- Correspondence: (S.R.R.); (A.H.S.)
| | - Mynor J. Mendez Valdez
- Section of Virology and Immunotherapy, Department of Neurosurgery, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Vaidya Govindarajan
- Section of Virology and Immunotherapy, Department of Neurosurgery, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Deepa Seetharam
- Section of Virology and Immunotherapy, Department of Neurosurgery, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Tara T. Doucet-O’Hare
- Neuro-Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - John D. Heiss
- Surgical Neurology Branch, National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Ashish H. Shah
- Section of Virology and Immunotherapy, Department of Neurosurgery, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA
- Correspondence: (S.R.R.); (A.H.S.)
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Zhang Q, Pan J, Cong Y, Mao J. Transcriptional Regulation of Endogenous Retroviruses and Their Misregulation in Human Diseases. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231710112. [PMID: 36077510 PMCID: PMC9456331 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231710112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Revised: 08/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs), deriving from exogenous retroviral infections of germ line cells occurred millions of years ago, represent ~8% of human genome. Most ERVs are highly inactivated because of the accumulation of mutations, insertions, deletions, and/or truncations. However, it is becoming increasingly apparent that ERVs influence host biology through genetic and epigenetic mechanisms under particular physiological and pathological conditions, which provide both beneficial and deleterious effects for the host. For instance, certain ERVs expression is essential for human embryonic development. Whereas abnormal activation of ERVs was found to be involved in numbers of human diseases, such as cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms of regulation of ERVs would provide insights into the role of ERVs in health and diseases. Here, we provide an overview of mechanisms of transcriptional regulation of ERVs and their dysregulation in human diseases.
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Repetitive Sequence Transcription in Breast Cancer. Cells 2022; 11:cells11162522. [PMID: 36010599 PMCID: PMC9406339 DOI: 10.3390/cells11162522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Revised: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Repetitive sequences represent about half of the human genome. They are actively transcribed and play a role during development and in epigenetic regulation. The altered activity of repetitive sequences can lead to genomic instability and they can contribute to the establishment or the progression of degenerative diseases and cancer transformation. In this work, we analyzed the expression profiles of DNA repetitive sequences in the breast cancer specimens of the HMUCC cohort. Satellite expression is generally upregulated in breast cancers, with specific families upregulated per histotype: in HER2-enriched cancers, they are the human satellite II (HSATII), in luminal A and B, they are part of the ALR family and in triple-negative, they are part of SAR and GSAT families, together with a perturbation in the transcription from endogenous retroviruses and their LTR sequences. We report that the background expression of repetitive sequences in healthy tissues of cancer patients differs from the tissues of non-cancerous controls. To conclude, peculiar patterns of expression of repetitive sequences are reported in each specimen, especially in the case of transcripts arising from satellite repeats.
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Zhang M, Zheng S, Liang JQ. Transcriptional and reverse transcriptional regulation of host genes by human endogenous retroviruses in cancers. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:946296. [PMID: 35928153 PMCID: PMC9343867 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.946296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) originated from ancient retroviral infections of germline cells millions of years ago and have evolved as part of the host genome. HERVs not only retain the capacity as retroelements but also regulate host genes. The expansion of HERVs involves transcription by RNA polymerase II, reverse transcription, and re-integration into the host genome. Fast progress in deep sequencing and functional analysis has revealed the importance of domesticated copies of HERVs, including their regulatory sequences, transcripts, and proteins in normal cells. However, evidence also suggests the involvement of HERVs in the development and progression of many types of cancer. Here we summarize the current state of knowledge about the expression of HERVs, transcriptional regulation of host genes by HERVs, and the functions of HERVs in reverse transcription and gene editing with their reverse transcriptase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengwen Zhang
- The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, Second Affiliated Hospital, Cancer Institute, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Shu Zheng
- The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, Second Affiliated Hospital, Cancer Institute, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Shu Zheng,
| | - Jessie Qiaoyi Liang
- Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, Center for Gut Microbiota Research, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, Shenzhen Research Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Jessie Qiaoyi Liang,
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20
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Li J, Lin J, Lin JR, Farris M, Robbins L, Andrada L, Grohol B, Nong S, Liu Y. Dolutegravir Inhibits Proliferation and Motility of BT-20 Tumor Cells Through Inhibition of Human Endogenous Retrovirus Type K. Cureus 2022; 14:e26525. [PMID: 35936147 PMCID: PMC9345775 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.26525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 07/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Increasing evidence points to the role of endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) in driving cancer cell proliferation. The purpose of this study was to explore the possibility of repurposing antiretroviral agents to inhibit ERVs as a new approach to cancer treatment. We found that an integrase strand-transfer inhibitor, dolutegravir (DTG), effectively inhibited the proliferation of multiple cancer cell lines and its antiproliferative potency was positively correlated with the expression levels of the human endogenous retrovirus type K (HERV-K). DTG inhibited the expression of HERV-K in multiple human cancer cell lines and the mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) in the murine 4T1 mammary cancer cell line. We chose the fast-growing BT-20 cell line as a model to study the in vitro antiproliferative mechanisms of DTG. BT-20 cells overexpressing both HERV-K env and pol genes became more resistant to DTG than cells transduced with vector alone. Knockdown of HERV-K also increased DTG resistance of BT-20 cells. The antiproliferative effect of DTG correlated with enhanced expression of E-cadherin and reduction in cell motility and invasiveness. Surprisingly, DTG stimulated expression of the env gene of MMTV in vivo and promoted metastasis of 4T1 tumor cells to the lungs. Taken together, our data support the role of ERVs in tumor development and encourage the further search for antiretroviral agents to treat malignancies in which ERVs are active.
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Temerozo JR, Fintelman-Rodrigues N, Dos Santos MC, Hottz ED, Sacramento CQ, de Paula Dias da Silva A, Mandacaru SC, Dos Santos Moraes EC, Trugilho MRO, Gesto JSM, Ferreira MA, Saraiva FB, Palhinha L, Martins-Gonçalves R, Azevedo-Quintanilha IG, Abrantes JL, Righy C, Kurtz P, Jiang H, Tan H, Morel C, Bou-Habib DC, Bozza FA, Bozza PT, Souza TML. Human endogenous retrovirus K in the respiratory tract is associated with COVID-19 physiopathology. MICROBIOME 2022; 10:65. [PMID: 35459226 PMCID: PMC9024070 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-022-01260-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Critically ill 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients under invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) are 10 to 40 times more likely to die than the general population. Although progression from mild to severe COVID-19 has been associated with hypoxia, uncontrolled inflammation, and coagulopathy, the mechanisms involved in the progression to severity are poorly understood. METHODS The virome of tracheal aspirates (TA) from 25 COVID-19 patients under IMV was assessed through unbiased RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), and correlation analyses were conducted using available clinical data. Unbiased sequences from nasopharyngeal swabs (NS) from mild cases and TA from non-COVID patients were included in our study for further comparisons. RESULTS We found higher levels and differential expression of human endogenous retrovirus K (HERV-K) genes in TA from critically ill and deceased patients when comparing nasopharyngeal swabs from mild cases to TA from non-COVID patients. In critically ill patients, higher HERV-K levels were associated with early mortality (within 14 days of diagnosis) in the intensive care unit. Increased HERV-K expression in deceased patients was associated with IL-17-related inflammation, monocyte activation, and an increased consumption of clotting/fibrinolysis factors. Moreover, increased HERV-K expression was detected in human primary monocytes from healthy donors after experimental SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro. CONCLUSION Our data implicate the levels of HERV-K transcripts in the physiopathology of COVID-19 in the respiratory tract of patients under invasive mechanical ventilation. Video abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jairo R Temerozo
- Laboratory on Thymus Research, Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- National Institute for Science and Technology on Neuroimmunomodulation (INCT/NIM), Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- Laboratory of Immunopharmacology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- Center for Technological Development in Health (CDTS), National Institute for Science and Technology on Innovation on Disease Of Neglected Poppulations (INCT/IDPN), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Natalia Fintelman-Rodrigues
- Laboratory of Immunopharmacology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- Center for Technological Development in Health (CDTS), National Institute for Science and Technology on Innovation on Disease Of Neglected Poppulations (INCT/IDPN), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Monique Cristina Dos Santos
- Laboratory of Immunopharmacology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Eugenio D Hottz
- Laboratory of Immunopharmacology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- Laboratory of Immunothrombosis, Department of Biochemistry, Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF), Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Carolina Q Sacramento
- Laboratory of Immunopharmacology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- Center for Technological Development in Health (CDTS), National Institute for Science and Technology on Innovation on Disease Of Neglected Poppulations (INCT/IDPN), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Aline de Paula Dias da Silva
- Laboratory of Immunopharmacology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- Center for Technological Development in Health (CDTS), National Institute for Science and Technology on Innovation on Disease Of Neglected Poppulations (INCT/IDPN), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Samuel Coelho Mandacaru
- Center for Technological Development in Health (CDTS), National Institute for Science and Technology on Innovation on Disease Of Neglected Poppulations (INCT/IDPN), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- Laboratory of Toxinology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Emilly Caroline Dos Santos Moraes
- Laboratory of Immunopharmacology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- Laboratory of Toxinology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Monique R O Trugilho
- Center for Technological Development in Health (CDTS), National Institute for Science and Technology on Innovation on Disease Of Neglected Poppulations (INCT/IDPN), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- Laboratory of Toxinology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - João S M Gesto
- Center for Technological Development in Health (CDTS), National Institute for Science and Technology on Innovation on Disease Of Neglected Poppulations (INCT/IDPN), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Marcelo Alves Ferreira
- Center for Technological Development in Health (CDTS), National Institute for Science and Technology on Innovation on Disease Of Neglected Poppulations (INCT/IDPN), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Felipe Betoni Saraiva
- Instituto de Tecnologia em Imunobiológicos (Bio-Manguinhos), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Lohanna Palhinha
- Laboratory of Immunopharmacology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Remy Martins-Gonçalves
- Laboratory of Immunopharmacology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | | | - Juliana L Abrantes
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Cássia Righy
- Paulo Niemeyer State Brain Institute (IECPN), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- Evandro Chagas National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Pedro Kurtz
- Paulo Niemeyer State Brain Institute (IECPN), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- D'Or Institute for Research and Education, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Hui Jiang
- MGI Tech Co. Ltd, Building No.11, Beishan Industrial Zone, Yantian District, Shenzhen, 518083, China
| | - Hongdong Tan
- MGI Tech Co. Ltd, Building No.11, Beishan Industrial Zone, Yantian District, Shenzhen, 518083, China
| | - Carlos Morel
- Center for Technological Development in Health (CDTS), National Institute for Science and Technology on Innovation on Disease Of Neglected Poppulations (INCT/IDPN), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Dumith Chequer Bou-Habib
- Laboratory on Thymus Research, Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- National Institute for Science and Technology on Neuroimmunomodulation (INCT/NIM), Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Fernando A Bozza
- Evandro Chagas National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- D'Or Institute for Research and Education, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Patrícia T Bozza
- Laboratory of Immunopharmacology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Thiago Moreno L Souza
- Laboratory of Immunopharmacology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
- Center for Technological Development in Health (CDTS), National Institute for Science and Technology on Innovation on Disease Of Neglected Poppulations (INCT/IDPN), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
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22
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Lecuelle J, Favier L, Fraisse C, Lagrange A, Kaderbhai C, Boidot R, Chevrier S, Joubert P, Routy B, Truntzer C, Ghiringhelli F. MER4 endogenous retrovirus correlated with better efficacy of anti-PD1/PD-L1 therapy in non-small cell lung cancer. J Immunother Cancer 2022; 10:jitc-2021-004241. [PMID: 35277462 PMCID: PMC8919440 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-004241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) are highly expressed in various cancer types and are associated with increased innate immune response and better efficacy of antiprogrammed death-1/ligand-1 (anti-PD1/PD-L1)-directed immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in preclinical models. However, their role in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains unknown. Methods We conducted a retrospective study of patients receiving ICI for advanced NSCLC in two independent cohorts. ERV expression was determined by RNA sequencing. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) under ICI. The secondary endpoint was overall survival (OS) from ICI initiation. We studied expression of 6205 ERVs. Multivariate Cox regression model with lasso penalty was estimated on the training set to select ERVs significantly associated with survival. The predictive power of these ERVs was compared with that of previously described transcriptomic signatures. Results We studied two independent cohorts of 89 and 70 patients, used as training and validation sets. Clinicopathological characteristics included 75% of patients with non-squamous NSCLC. We selected four ERVs significantly associated with PFS. Only high MER4 ERV was associated with better PFS and OS in both cohorts. From a biological point of view, high MER4 expression is associated with higher infiltration of eosinophils and inflammatory gene signatures, while low MER4 expression is associated with enrichment in metabolism and proliferation signatures. Adding MER4 to previously described transcriptomic signatures of response to ICI improved their predictive power. Conclusions MER4 ERV expression is useful to stratify risk and predict PFS and OS in patients treated with ICI for NSCLC. It also improves the predictive power of other known transcriptomic signatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Lecuelle
- Platform of Transfer in Biological Oncology, Georges-Francois Leclerc Cancer Center - UNICANCER, Dijon, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France
- UMR INSERM 1231, Dijon, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France
- Genomic and Immunotherapy Medical Institute, Dijon University Hospital, Dijon, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France
- University of Burgundy-Franche Comté, Dijon, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France
| | - Laure Favier
- Departmnt of Medical Oncology, Georges François Leclerc Cancer Center - UNICANCER, Dijon, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France
| | - Cléa Fraisse
- Departmnt of Medical Oncology, Georges François Leclerc Cancer Center - UNICANCER, Dijon, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France
| | - Aurélie Lagrange
- Departmnt of Medical Oncology, Georges François Leclerc Cancer Center - UNICANCER, Dijon, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France
| | - Coureche Kaderbhai
- Departmnt of Medical Oncology, Georges François Leclerc Cancer Center - UNICANCER, Dijon, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France
| | - Romain Boidot
- Department of Biopathology, Georges François Leclerc Cancer Center - UNICANCER, Dijon, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France
| | - Sandy Chevrier
- Department of Biopathology, Georges François Leclerc Cancer Center - UNICANCER, Dijon, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France
| | - Philippe Joubert
- Department of Pathology, Quebec Heart and Lung Institute Research Center, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Bertrand Routy
- Department of Medicine Montréal, Division of Oncology, Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CRCHUM), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM), Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Caroline Truntzer
- Platform of Transfer in Biological Oncology, Georges-Francois Leclerc Cancer Center - UNICANCER, Dijon, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France
- UMR INSERM 1231, Dijon, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France
- Genomic and Immunotherapy Medical Institute, Dijon University Hospital, Dijon, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France
- University of Burgundy-Franche Comté, Dijon, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France
| | - Francois Ghiringhelli
- Platform of Transfer in Biological Oncology, Georges-Francois Leclerc Cancer Center - UNICANCER, Dijon, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France
- UMR INSERM 1231, Dijon, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France
- Genomic and Immunotherapy Medical Institute, Dijon University Hospital, Dijon, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France
- University of Burgundy-Franche Comté, Dijon, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France
- Departmnt of Medical Oncology, Georges François Leclerc Cancer Center - UNICANCER, Dijon, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France
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23
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Yang C, Guo X, Li J, Han J, Jia L, Wen HL, Sun C, Wang X, Zhang B, Li J, Chi Y, An T, Wang Y, Wang Z, Li H, Li L. Significant Upregulation of HERV-K (HML-2) Transcription Levels in Human Lung Cancer and Cancer Cells. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:850444. [PMID: 35359739 PMCID: PMC8960717 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.850444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Lung cancer is the second most common cancer worldwide and the leading cause of cancer death in the world. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop new and effective biomarkers for diagnosis and treatment. Under this circumstance, human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) were recently introduced as novel biomarkers for cancer diagnosis. This study focused on the correlation between lung cancer and HERV-K (HML-2) transcription levels. At the cellular level, different types of lung cancer cells and human normal lung epithelial cells were used to analyze the transcription levels of the HERV-K (HML-2) gag, pol, and env genes by RT–qPCR. At the level of lung cancer patients, blood samples with background information from 734 lung cancer patients and 96 healthy persons were collected to analyze the transcription levels of HERV-K (HML-2) gag, pol, and env genes. The results showed that the transcriptional levels of the HERV-K (HML-2) gag, pol, and env genes in lung cancer cells and lung cancer patient blood samples were significantly higher than those in the healthy controls, which was also verified by RNAScope ISH technology. In addition, we also found that there was a correlation between the abnormal transcription levels of HERV-K (HML-2) genes in lung cancer patients and the clinicopathological parameters of lung cancer. We also identified the distribution locations of the gag, pol, and env primer sequences on each chromosome and analyzed the function of these loci. In conclusion, HERV-K (HML-2) genes may be a potential biomarker for the diagnosis of lung cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caiqin Yang
- Department of Virology, State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, AMMS, Beijing, China
| | - Xin Guo
- Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Jianjie Li
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), Department of Thoracic Medical Oncology, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Jingwan Han
- Department of Virology, State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, AMMS, Beijing, China
| | - Lei Jia
- Department of Virology, State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, AMMS, Beijing, China
| | - Hong-Ling Wen
- Key Laboratory for the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiological Laboratory Technology, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Chengxi Sun
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Xiaolin Wang
- Department of Virology, State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, AMMS, Beijing, China
| | - Bohan Zhang
- Department of Virology, State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, AMMS, Beijing, China
| | - Jingyun Li
- Department of Virology, State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, AMMS, Beijing, China
| | - Yujia Chi
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), Department of Thoracic Medical Oncology, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Tongtong An
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), Department of Thoracic Medical Oncology, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Yuyan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), Department of Thoracic Medical Oncology, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Ziping Wang
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), Department of Thoracic Medical Oncology, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: Ziping Wang,
| | - Hanping Li
- Department of Virology, State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, AMMS, Beijing, China
- Hanping Li,
| | - Lin Li
- Department of Virology, State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, AMMS, Beijing, China
- Lin Li,
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24
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Fayzullina D, Kharwar RK, Acharya A, Buzdin A, Borisov N, Timashev P, Ulasov I, Kapomba B. FNC: An Advanced Anticancer Therapeutic or Just an Underdog? Front Oncol 2022; 12:820647. [PMID: 35223502 PMCID: PMC8867032 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.820647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Azvudine (FNC) is a novel cytidine analogue that has both antiviral and anticancer activities. This minireview focuses on its underlying molecular mechanisms of suppressing viral life cycle and cancer cell growth and discusses applications of this nucleoside drug for advanced therapy of tumors and malignant blood diseases. FNC inhibits positive-stand RNA viruses, like HCV, EV, SARS-COV-2, HBV, and retroviruses, including HIV, by suppressing their RNA-dependent polymerase enzymes. It may also inhibit such enzyme (reverse transcriptase) in the human retrotransposons, including human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs). As the activation of retrotransposons can be the major factor of ongoing cancer genome instability and consequently higher aggressiveness of tumors, FNC has a potential to increase the efficacy of multiple anticancer therapies. Furthermore, FNC also showed other aspects of anticancer activity by inhibiting adhesion, migration, invasion, and proliferation of malignant cells. It was also reported to be involved in cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, thereby inhibiting the progression of cancer through different pathways. To the date, the grounds of FNC effects on cancer cells are not fully understood and hence additional studies are needed for better understanding molecular mechanisms of its anticancer activities to support its medical use in oncology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daria Fayzullina
- World-Class Research Center “Digital Biodesign and Personalized Healthcare”, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Rajesh Kumar Kharwar
- Endocrine Research Lab, Department of Zoology, Kutir Post Graduate College, Chakkey, Jaunpur, India
| | - Arbind Acharya
- Tumor Immunology Lab, Department of Zoology, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
| | - Anton Buzdin
- World-Class Research Center “Digital Biodesign and Personalized Healthcare”, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Nicolas Borisov
- Department of Medical and Biological Physics, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, Russia
| | - Peter Timashev
- World-Class Research Center “Digital Biodesign and Personalized Healthcare”, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Ilya Ulasov
- World-Class Research Center “Digital Biodesign and Personalized Healthcare”, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Byron Kapomba
- Department of General Surgery, Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, Harare, Zimbabwe,*Correspondence: Byron Kapomba,
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25
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Müller MD, Holst PJ, Nielsen KN. A Systematic Review of Expression and Immunogenicity of Human Endogenous Retroviral Proteins in Cancer and Discussion of Therapeutic Approaches. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23031330. [PMID: 35163254 PMCID: PMC8836156 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23031330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Revised: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are remnants of ancient retroviral infections that have become fixed in the human genome. While HERV genes are typically silenced in healthy somatic cells, there are numerous reports of HERV transcription and translation across a wide spectrum of cancers, while T and B cell responses against HERV proteins have been detected in cancer patients. This review systematically categorizes the published evidence on the expression of and adaptive immune response against specific HERVs in distinct cancer types. A systematic literature search was performed using Medical Search Headings (MeSH) in the PubMed/Medline database. Papers were included if they described the translational activity of HERVs. We present multiple tables that pair the protein expression of specific HERVs and cancer types with information on the quality of the evidence. We find that HERV-K is the most investigated HERV. HERV-W (syncytin-1) is the second-most investigated, while other HERVs have received less attention. From a therapeutic perspective, HERV-K and HERV-E are the only HERVs with experimental demonstration of effective targeted therapies, but unspecific approaches using antiviral and demethylating agents in combination with chemo- and immunotherapies have also been investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikkel Dons Müller
- Institute of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark;
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26
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HERV-K and HERV-H Env Proteins Induce a Humoral Response in Prostate Cancer Patients. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11010095. [PMID: 35056043 PMCID: PMC8778306 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11010095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Revised: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
A higher expression of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) has been associated with several malignancies, including prostate cancer, implying a possible use as a diagnostic or prognostic cancer biomarker. For this reason, we examined the humoral response against different epitopes obtained from the envelope protein of HERV-K (HERV-K env-su19–37, HERV-K env-su109–126), HERV-H (HERV-H env-su229–241, HERV-H env387–399) and HERV-W (HERV-W env-su93–108, HERV-W env-su248–262) in the plasma of patients affected by prostate cancer (PCa), and compared to that of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) and a borderline group of patients with atypical small acinar proliferation (ASAP) and prostate intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) and healthy controls. A significant antibody response was observed against HERV-K env-su109–126 (p = 0.004) and HERV-H env-su229–241 (p < 0.0001) in PCa patients compared to HCs, BPH and borderline cohorts, whilst no significance difference was found in the antibodies against HERV-W env-su93–108 and HERV-W env-su248–262 in patients with PCa. Our results provided further proof of the association between HERV-K and PCa and added new evidence about the possible involvement of HERV-H in PCa pathogenesis, highlighting their possibility of being used as biomarkers of the disease.
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27
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Mehta S, Campbell H, Drummond CJ, Li K, Murray K, Slatter T, Bourdon JC, Braithwaite AW. Adaptive homeostasis and the p53 isoform network. EMBO Rep 2021; 22:e53085. [PMID: 34779563 PMCID: PMC8647153 DOI: 10.15252/embr.202153085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2021] [Revised: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
All living organisms have developed processes to sense and address environmental changes to maintain a stable internal state (homeostasis). When activated, the p53 tumour suppressor maintains cell and organ integrity and functions in response to homeostasis disruptors (stresses) such as infection, metabolic alterations and cellular damage. Thus, p53 plays a fundamental physiological role in maintaining organismal homeostasis. The TP53 gene encodes a network of proteins (p53 isoforms) with similar and distinct biochemical functions. The p53 network carries out multiple biological activities enabling cooperation between individual cells required for long‐term survival of multicellular organisms (animals) in response to an ever‐changing environment caused by mutation, infection, metabolic alteration or damage. In this review, we suggest that the p53 network has evolved as an adaptive response to pathogen infections and other environmental selection pressures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunali Mehta
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.,Maurice Wilkins Centre for Biodiscovery, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Hamish Campbell
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Catherine J Drummond
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.,Maurice Wilkins Centre for Biodiscovery, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Kunyu Li
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Kaisha Murray
- Dundee Cancer Centre, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Tania Slatter
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.,Maurice Wilkins Centre for Biodiscovery, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Jean-Christophe Bourdon
- Dundee Cancer Centre, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Antony W Braithwaite
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.,Maurice Wilkins Centre for Biodiscovery, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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28
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Maze EA, Agit B, Reeves S, Hilton DA, Parkinson DB, Laraba L, Ercolano E, Kurian KM, Hanemann CO, Belshaw RD, Ammoun S. Human endogenous retrovirus type K promotes proliferation and confers sensitivity to anti-retroviral drugs in Merlin-negative schwannoma and meningioma. Cancer Res 2021; 82:235-247. [PMID: 34853069 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-20-3857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Revised: 03/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Deficiency of the tumour suppressor Merlin causes development of schwannoma, meningioma, and ependymoma tumours, which can occur spontaneously or in the hereditary disease neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2). Merlin mutations are also relevant in a variety of other tumours. Surgery and radiotherapy are current first-line treatments; however, tumours frequently recur with limited treatment options. Here, we use human Merlin-negative schwannoma and meningioma primary cells to investigate the involvement of the endogenous retrovirus HERV-K in tumour development. HERV-K proteins previously implicated in tumorigenesis were overexpressed in schwannoma and all meningioma grades, and disease-associated CRL4DCAF1 and YAP/TEAD pathways were implicated in this overexpression. In normal Schwann cells, ectopic overexpression of HERV-K Env increased proliferation and upregulated expression of c-Jun and pERK1/2, which are key components of known tumorigenic pathways in schwannoma, JNK/c-Jun and RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK. Furthermore, FDA-approved retroviral protease inhibitors ritonavir, atazanavir, and lopinavir reduced proliferation of schwannoma and grade I meningioma cells. These results identify HERV-K as a critical regulator of progression in Merlin-deficient tumours and offer potential strategies for therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel A Maze
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Medicine, Dentistry and Human Sciences, Plymouth University
| | - Bora Agit
- Faculty of Health Medicine, Dentistry and Human Sciences, Plymouth University
| | - Shona Reeves
- Faculty of Health Medicine, Dentistry and Human Sciences, Plymouth University
| | - David A Hilton
- Faculty of Health Medicine, Dentistry and Human Sciences, Plymouth University
| | - David B Parkinson
- Institute of Translational and Stratified Medicine, Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry
| | - Liyam Laraba
- Institute of Translational and Stratified Medicine, Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry
| | | | - Kathreena M Kurian
- Department of Neuropathology, Brain Tumour Research Group, Frenchay Hospital, University of Bristol
| | - C Oliver Hanemann
- Institute of Translational and Stratified Medicine, Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry
| | | | - Sylwia Ammoun
- Faculty of Health Medicine, Dentistry and Human Sciences, Plymouth University
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29
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Kitsou K, Iliopoulou M, Spoulou V, Lagiou P, Magiorkinis G. Viral Causality of Human Cancer and Potential Roles of Human Endogenous Retroviruses in the Multi-Omics Era: An Evolutionary Epidemiology Review. Front Oncol 2021; 11:687631. [PMID: 34778024 PMCID: PMC8586426 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.687631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Being responsible for almost 12% of cancers worldwide, viruses are among the oldest known and most prevalent oncogenic agents. The quality of the evidence for the in vivo tumorigenic potential of microorganisms varies, thus accordingly, viruses were classified in 4 evidence-based categories by the International Agency for Research on Cancer in 2009. Since then, our understanding of the role of viruses in cancer has significantly improved, firstly due to the emergence of high throughput sequencing technologies that allowed the “brute-force” recovery of unknown viral genomes. At the same time, multi-omics approaches unravelled novel virus-host interactions in stem-cell biology. We now know that viral elements, either exogenous or endogenous, have multiple sometimes conflicting roles in human pathophysiology and the development of cancer. Here we integrate emerging evidence on viral causality in human cancer from basic mechanisms to clinical studies. We analyze viral tumorigenesis under the scope of deep-in-time human-virus evolutionary relationships and critically comment on the evidence through the eyes of clinical epidemiology, firstly by reviewing recognized oncoviruses and their mechanisms of inducing tumorigenesis, and then by examining the potential role of integrated viruses in our genome in the process of carcinogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantina Kitsou
- Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.,Immunobiology and Vaccinology Research Laboratory, First Department of Peadiatrics, "Aghia Sophia" Children's Hospital, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Maria Iliopoulou
- Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Vana Spoulou
- Immunobiology and Vaccinology Research Laboratory, First Department of Peadiatrics, "Aghia Sophia" Children's Hospital, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Pagona Lagiou
- Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Gkikas Magiorkinis
- Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
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30
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Mao J, Zhang Q, Cong YS. Human endogenous retroviruses in development and disease. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2021; 19:5978-5986. [PMID: 34849202 PMCID: PMC8604659 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2021.10.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2021] [Revised: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) represent ∼8% of human genome, deriving from exogenous retroviral infections of germ line cells occurred millions of years ago and being inherited by the offspring in a Mendelian fashion. Most of HERVs are nonprotein-coding because of the accumulation of mutations, insertions, deletions, and/or truncations. It has been long thought that HERVs were "junk DNA". However, it is now known that HERVs are involved in various biological processes through encoding proteins, acting as promoters/enhancers, or lncRNAs to affect human health and disease. In this review, we summarized recent findings about HERVs, with implications in embryonic development, pluripotency, cancer, aging, and neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Mao
- Key Laboratory of Aging and Cancer Biology of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou Normal University School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hangzhou, China
| | - Qian Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Aging and Cancer Biology of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou Normal University School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yu-Sheng Cong
- Key Laboratory of Aging and Cancer Biology of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou Normal University School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hangzhou, China
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31
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Dittmar T, Weiler J, Luo T, Hass R. Cell-Cell Fusion Mediated by Viruses and HERV-Derived Fusogens in Cancer Initiation and Progression. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:5363. [PMID: 34771528 PMCID: PMC8582398 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13215363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Revised: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell fusion is a well-known, but still scarcely understood biological phenomenon, which might play a role in cancer initiation, progression and formation of metastases. Although the merging of two (cancer) cells appears simple, the entire process is highly complex, energy-dependent and tightly regulated. Among cell fusion-inducing and -regulating factors, so-called fusogens have been identified as a specific type of proteins that are indispensable for overcoming fusion-associated energetic barriers and final merging of plasma membranes. About 8% of the human genome is of retroviral origin and some well-known fusogens, such as syncytin-1, are expressed by human (cancer) cells. Likewise, enveloped viruses can enable and facilitate cell fusion due to evolutionarily optimized fusogens, and are also capable to induce bi- and multinucleation underlining their fusion capacity. Moreover, multinucleated giant cancer cells have been found in tumors derived from oncogenic viruses. Accordingly, a potential correlation between viruses and fusogens of human endogenous retroviral origin in cancer cell fusion will be summarized in this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Dittmar
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Biomedical Education and Research (ZBAF), Witten/Herdecke University, 58448 Witten, Germany;
| | - Julian Weiler
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Biomedical Education and Research (ZBAF), Witten/Herdecke University, 58448 Witten, Germany;
| | - Tianjiao Luo
- Biochemistry and Tumor Biology Laboratory, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany;
| | - Ralf Hass
- Biochemistry and Tumor Biology Laboratory, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany;
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32
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SMARCB1 deletion in atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumors results in human endogenous retrovirus K (HML-2) expression. Sci Rep 2021; 11:12893. [PMID: 34145313 PMCID: PMC8213802 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-92223-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumor (AT/RT) is a rare pediatric central nervous system cancer often characterized by deletion or mutation of SMARCB1, a tumor suppressor gene. In this study, we found that SMARCB1 regulates Human Endogenous Retrovirus K (HERV-K, subtype HML-2) expression. HML-2 is a repetitive element scattered throughout the human genome, encoding several intact viral proteins that have been associated with stem cell maintenance and tumorigenesis. We found HML-2 env expression in both the intracellular and extracellular compartments in all AT/RT cell lines (n = 4) and in 95% of AT/RT patient tissues (n = 37) evaluated. SMARCB1 knock-down in neural stem cells (NSCs) led to an upregulation of HML-2 transcription. We found that SMARCB1 binds adjacent to the HML-2 promoter, repressing its transcription via chromatin immunoprecipitation; restoration of SMARCB1 expression in AT/RT cell lines significantly downregulated HML-2 expression. Further, targeted downregulation of HML-2 transcription via CRISPR-dCas9 coupled with suppressor proteins led to cellular dispersion, decreased proliferation, and cell death in vitro. HML-2 knock-down with shRNA, siRNA, and CRISPR-dCas9 significantly decreased Ras expression as measured by qRT-PCR, suggesting that HML-2 modulates MAPK/ERK signaling in AT/RT cells. Overexpression of NRAS was sufficient to restore cellular proliferation, and MYC, a transcription factor downstream of NRAS, was bound to the HERV-K LTR significantly more in the absence of SMARCB1 expression in AT/RT cells. We show a mechanism by which these undifferentiated tumors remain pluripotent, and we demonstrate that their formation is aided by aberrant HML-2 activation, which is dependent on SMARCB1 and its interaction with MYC.
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33
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Jansz N, Faulkner GJ. Endogenous retroviruses in the origins and treatment of cancer. Genome Biol 2021; 22:147. [PMID: 33971937 PMCID: PMC8108463 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-021-02357-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) are emerging as promising therapeutic targets in cancer. As remnants of ancient retroviral infections, ERV-derived regulatory elements coordinate expression from gene networks, including those underpinning embryogenesis and immune cell function. ERV activation can promote an interferon response, a phenomenon termed viral mimicry. Although ERV expression is associated with cancer, and provisionally with autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases, ERV-mediated inflammation is being explored as a way to sensitize tumors to immunotherapy. Here we review ERV co-option in development and innate immunity, the aberrant contribution of ERVs to tumorigenesis, and the wider biomedical potential of therapies directed at ERVs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natasha Jansz
- Mater Research Institute - University of Queensland, TRI Building, Woolloongabba, QLD, 4102, Australia.
| | - Geoffrey J Faulkner
- Mater Research Institute - University of Queensland, TRI Building, Woolloongabba, QLD, 4102, Australia. .,Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.
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34
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Ten Bosch GJA, Bolk J, 't Hart BA, Laman JD. Multiple sclerosis is linked to MAPK ERK overactivity in microglia. J Mol Med (Berl) 2021; 99:1033-1042. [PMID: 33948692 PMCID: PMC8313465 DOI: 10.1007/s00109-021-02080-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Revised: 03/31/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Reassessment of published observations in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) suggests a microglial malfunction due to inappropriate (over)activity of the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway ERK (MAPKERK). These observations regard biochemistry as well as epigenetics, and all indicate involvement of this pathway. Recent preclinical research on neurodegeneration already pointed towards a role of MAPK pathways, in particular MAPKERK. This is important as microglia with overactive MAPK have been identified to disturb local oligodendrocytes which can lead to locoregional demyelination, hallmark of MS. This constitutes a new concept on pathophysiology of MS, besides the prevailing view, i.e., autoimmunity. Acknowledged risk factors for MS, such as EBV infection, hypovitaminosis D, and smoking, all downregulate MAPKERK negative feedback phosphatases that normally regulate MAPKERK activity. Consequently, these factors may contribute to inappropriate MAPKERK overactivity, and thereby to neurodegeneration. Also, MAPKERK overactivity in microglia, as a factor in the pathophysiology of MS, could explain ongoing neurodegeneration in MS patients despite optimized immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory treatment. Currently, for these patients with progressive disease, no effective treatment exists. In such refractory MS, targeting the cause of overactive MAPKERK in microglia merits further investigation as this phenomenon may imply a novel treatment approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- George J A Ten Bosch
- Department of Medical Oncology, Leiden University Medical Center, P.O. Box 9600, 2300 RC, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Jolande Bolk
- Department of Anesthesiology, Medisch Spectrum Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Bert A 't Hart
- Department Anatomy and Neuroscience, Amsterdam University Medical Center (VUmc), Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department Biomedical Sciences of Cells & Systems, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jon D Laman
- Department Biomedical Sciences of Cells & Systems, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
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35
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Weyerer V, Strissel PL, Stöhr C, Eckstein M, Wach S, Taubert H, Brandl L, Geppert CI, Wullich B, Cynis H, Beckmann MW, Seliger B, Hartmann A, Strick R. Endogenous Retroviral-K Envelope Is a Novel Tumor Antigen and Prognostic Indicator of Renal Cell Carcinoma. Front Oncol 2021; 11:657187. [PMID: 33968761 PMCID: PMC8100683 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.657187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is one of the ten most common cancers for men and women with an approximate 75% overall 5-year survival. Sixteen histological tumor subtypes exist and the most common are papillary, chromophobe and clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) representing 85% of all RCC. Although epigenetically silenced, endogenous retroviral (ERV) genes become activated in tumors and function to ignite immune responses. Research has intensified to understand ERV protein function and their role as tumor antigens and targets for cancer (immune) therapy. ERV-K env is overexpressed and implicated as a therapeutic target for breast cancer, however studies in RCC are limited. In this investigation a human RCC tissue microarray (TMA) (n=374) predominantly consisting of the most common histological tumor subtypes was hybridized with an ERV-K env antibody and correlated with patient clinical data. TMA results showed the highest amount of ERV-K env protein expression and the strongest significant membrane expression in ccRCC versus other RCC subtypes. High ERV-K env total protein expression of all tumor subtypes significantly correlated with low tumor grading and a longer disease specific survival using multivariable analyses. Cell proliferation and invasion were assayed using the kidney cell lines HEK293 with wild-type p53 and a ccRCC cell line MZ1257RC mutated for p53. Transfecting these cell lines with a codon optimized ERV-K113 env overexpressing CMV vector was performed with or without 5’-Aza-2’-deoxycytidine (Aza) treatment to sustain promoter de-methylation. MZ1257RC showed induction of ERV-K113 expression and significantly increased both proliferation and invasion in the presence or absence of Aza. HEK293 cells demonstrated a restriction of ERV-K113 env expression and invasion with no changes in proliferation in the absence of Aza. However, in the presence of Aza despite increased ERV-K113 env expression, an inhibition of HEK293 proliferation and a further restriction of invasion was found. This study supports ERV-K env as a single prognostic indicator for better survival of RCC, which we propose represents a new tumor antigen. In addition, ERV-K env significantly regulates proliferation and invasion depending on p53 status and Aza treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronika Weyerer
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuernberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Pamela L Strissel
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuernberg, Erlangen, Germany.,Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Erlangen, Comprehensive Cancer Center, European Metropolitan Area Erlangen-Nuremberg (CCC ER-EMN), Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuernberg, Erlangen, Germany.,Adjunct Affiliation With Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Christine Stöhr
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuernberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Markus Eckstein
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuernberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Sven Wach
- Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuernberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Helge Taubert
- Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuernberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Lisa Brandl
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuernberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Carol I Geppert
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuernberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Bernd Wullich
- Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuernberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Holger Cynis
- Department of Drug Design and Target Validation, Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Halle, Germany
| | - Matthias W Beckmann
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Erlangen, Comprehensive Cancer Center, European Metropolitan Area Erlangen-Nuremberg (CCC ER-EMN), Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuernberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Barbara Seliger
- Institute of Medical Immunology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Arndt Hartmann
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuernberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Reiner Strick
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Erlangen, Comprehensive Cancer Center, European Metropolitan Area Erlangen-Nuremberg (CCC ER-EMN), Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuernberg, Erlangen, Germany.,Translational Research Centre (TRC), Erlangen, Germany
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36
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Human Endogenous Retrovirus Reactivation: Implications for Cancer Immunotherapy. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13091999. [PMID: 33919186 PMCID: PMC8122352 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13091999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Revised: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) derive from ancestral exogenous retroviruses whose genetic material has been integrated in our germline DNA. Several lines of evidence indicate that cancer immunotherapy may benefit from HERV reactivation, which can be induced either by drugs or by cellular changes occurring in tumor cells. Indeed, several studies indicate that HERV proviral DNA can be transcribed either to double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) that is sensed as a "danger signal" by pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), leading to a viral mimicry state, or to mRNA that is translated into proteins that may contribute to the landscape of tumor-specific antigens (TSAs). Alternatively, HERV reactivation is associated with the expression of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). In this review, we will highlight recent findings on HERV reactivation in cancer and its implications for cancer immunotherapy.
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37
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Díaz-Carballo D, Saka S, Acikelli AH, Homp E, Erwes J, Demmig R, Klein J, Schröer K, Malak S, D'Souza F, Noa-Bolaño A, Menze S, Pano E, Andrioff S, Teipel M, Dammann P, Klein D, Nasreen A, Tannapfel A, Grandi N, Tramontano E, Ochsenfarth C, Strumberg D. Enhanced antitumoral activity of TLR7 agonists via activation of human endogenous retroviruses by HDAC inhibitors. Commun Biol 2021; 4:276. [PMID: 33658617 PMCID: PMC7930250 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-01800-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In this work, we are reporting that "Shock and Kill", a therapeutic approach designed to eliminate latent HIV from cell reservoirs, is extrapolatable to cancer therapy. This is based on the observation that malignant cells express a spectrum of human endogenous retroviral elements (HERVs) which can be transcriptionally boosted by HDAC inhibitors. The endoretroviral gene HERV-V2 codes for an envelope protein, which resembles syncytins. It is significantly overexpressed upon exposure to HDAC inhibitors and can be effectively targeted by simultaneous application of TLR7/8 agonists, triggering intrinsic apoptosis. We demonstrated that this synergistic cytotoxic effect was accompanied by the functional disruption of the TLR7/8-NFκB, Akt/PKB, and Ras-MEK-ERK signalling pathways. CRISPR/Cas9 ablation of TLR7 and HERV-V1/V2 curtailed apoptosis significantly, proving the pivotal role of these elements in driving cell death. The effectiveness of this new approach was confirmed in ovarian tumour xenograft studies, revealing a promising avenue for future cancer therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Díaz-Carballo
- Ruhr University Bochum, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Haematology and Oncology, Institute of Molecular Oncology and Experimental Therapeutics, Marien Hospital Herne, Herne, Germany.
| | - Sahitya Saka
- Ruhr University Bochum, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Haematology and Oncology, Institute of Molecular Oncology and Experimental Therapeutics, Marien Hospital Herne, Herne, Germany
| | - Ali H Acikelli
- Ruhr University Bochum, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Haematology and Oncology, Institute of Molecular Oncology and Experimental Therapeutics, Marien Hospital Herne, Herne, Germany
| | - Ekaterina Homp
- Ruhr University Bochum, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Haematology and Oncology, Institute of Molecular Oncology and Experimental Therapeutics, Marien Hospital Herne, Herne, Germany
| | - Julia Erwes
- Ruhr University Bochum, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Haematology and Oncology, Institute of Molecular Oncology and Experimental Therapeutics, Marien Hospital Herne, Herne, Germany
| | - Rebecca Demmig
- Ruhr University Bochum, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Haematology and Oncology, Institute of Molecular Oncology and Experimental Therapeutics, Marien Hospital Herne, Herne, Germany
| | - Jacqueline Klein
- Ruhr University Bochum, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Haematology and Oncology, Institute of Molecular Oncology and Experimental Therapeutics, Marien Hospital Herne, Herne, Germany
| | - Katrin Schröer
- Ruhr University Bochum, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Haematology and Oncology, Institute of Molecular Oncology and Experimental Therapeutics, Marien Hospital Herne, Herne, Germany
| | - Sascha Malak
- Ruhr University Bochum, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Haematology and Oncology, Institute of Molecular Oncology and Experimental Therapeutics, Marien Hospital Herne, Herne, Germany
| | - Flevy D'Souza
- Ruhr University Bochum, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Haematology and Oncology, Institute of Molecular Oncology and Experimental Therapeutics, Marien Hospital Herne, Herne, Germany
| | - Adrien Noa-Bolaño
- Ruhr University Bochum, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Haematology and Oncology, Institute of Molecular Oncology and Experimental Therapeutics, Marien Hospital Herne, Herne, Germany
| | - Saskia Menze
- Ruhr University Bochum, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Haematology and Oncology, Institute of Molecular Oncology and Experimental Therapeutics, Marien Hospital Herne, Herne, Germany
| | - Emilio Pano
- Ruhr University Bochum, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Haematology and Oncology, Institute of Molecular Oncology and Experimental Therapeutics, Marien Hospital Herne, Herne, Germany
| | - Swetlana Andrioff
- Ruhr University Bochum, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Haematology and Oncology, Institute of Molecular Oncology and Experimental Therapeutics, Marien Hospital Herne, Herne, Germany
| | - Marc Teipel
- Ruhr University Bochum, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Haematology and Oncology, Institute of Molecular Oncology and Experimental Therapeutics, Marien Hospital Herne, Herne, Germany
| | - Philip Dammann
- Central Animal Laboratory, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Diana Klein
- Institute of Cell Biology, Cancer Research, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Amber Nasreen
- Visceral Surgery Department, Marien Hospital Herne, Ruhr University Bochum Medical School, Herne, Germany
| | | | - Nicole Grandi
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria di Monserrato, Monserrato, Italy
| | - Enzo Tramontano
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria di Monserrato, Monserrato, Italy
| | - Crista Ochsenfarth
- Department of Anesthesia, Intensive Care, Pain and Palliative Medicine, Marien Hospital Herne, Ruhr-University Bochum Medical School, Herne, Germany
| | - Dirk Strumberg
- Ruhr University Bochum, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Haematology and Oncology, Institute of Molecular Oncology and Experimental Therapeutics, Marien Hospital Herne, Herne, Germany
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38
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Gao Y, Yu XF, Chen T. Human endogenous retroviruses in cancer: Expression, regulation and function. Oncol Lett 2020; 21:121. [PMID: 33552242 PMCID: PMC7798031 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2020.12382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 11/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are the remnants of ancient retroviruses that infected human germline cells and became integrated into the human genome millions of years ago. Although most of these sequences are incomplete and silent, several potential pathological roles of HERVs have been observed in numerous diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis, and especially cancer, including breast cancer and pancreatic carcinoma. The present review investigates the expression signatures and complex regulatory mechanisms of HERVs in cancer. The long terminal repeats-driven transcriptional initiation of HERVs are regulated by transcription factors (such as Sp3) and epigenetic modifications (such as DNA methylation), and are influenced by environmental factors (such as ultraviolet radiation). In addition, this review focuses on the dual opposing effects of HERVs in cancer. HERVs can suppress cancer via immune activation; however, they can also promote cancer. HERV env gene serves a prime role in promoting carcinogenesis in certain malignant tumors, including breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, germ cell tumors, leukemia and Kaposi's sarcoma. Also, HERV ENV proteins can promote cancer via immune suppression. Targeting ENV proteins is a potential future antitumor treatment modality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Gao
- Cancer Institute, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, Ministry of Education, Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zheijang 310009, P.R. China
| | - Xiao-Fang Yu
- Cancer Institute, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, Ministry of Education, Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zheijang 310009, P.R. China
| | - Ting Chen
- Cancer Institute, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, Ministry of Education, Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zheijang 310009, P.R. China
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39
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Wu B, Gan Y, Xu Y, Wu Z, Xu G, Wang P, Wang C, Meng Z, Li M, Zhang J, Zhuang H, Zhang X, Yang L, Li J, Gan X, Yu X, Huang W, Gu Y, Xu R. Identification of the novel Np17 oncogene in human leukemia. Aging (Albany NY) 2020; 12:23647-23667. [PMID: 33226963 PMCID: PMC7762455 DOI: 10.18632/aging.103808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
We previously defined the HERV-K Np9 as a viral oncogene. Here we report the discovery of a novel oncogene, Np17, which is homologous to the viral Np9 gene and predominantly present in Hominoidea. Np17 is located on chromosome 8, consists of 7 exons, and encodes a 16.8kDa nuclear protein with149 amino-acid residue. Functionally, knockdown of Np17 induced growth inhibition of leukemia cells, whereas enforced expression of Np17 promoted growth of leukemia cells in vitro and in vivo. In human leukemia, Np17 was detected in 59.65% (34/57) of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients examined and associated with refractory/relapsed AML. Mechanistically, Np17 decreased p53 levels and its mechanism might be involved in recruiting nuclear MDM2 to p53 for ubiquitin-mediated degradation. These findings reveal that Np17 is a novel oncogene associated with refractory/relapsed leukemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bowen Wu
- Department of Hematology, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, China National Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences, Zhejiang Province, The Second Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China.,Cancer Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China
| | - Yichao Gan
- Cancer Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China
| | - Ying Xu
- Department of Hematology, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, China National Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences, Zhejiang Province, The Second Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China.,Cancer Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China
| | - Zhaoxing Wu
- Department of Hematology, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, China National Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences, Zhejiang Province, The Second Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China.,Cancer Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China
| | - Ganyu Xu
- College of Letters and Sciences, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Ping Wang
- Department of Hematology, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, China National Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences, Zhejiang Province, The Second Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China.,Cancer Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China
| | - Chen Wang
- Cancer Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China
| | - Zhipeng Meng
- Molecular Oncology Program and Department of Diabetes Complications and Metabolism, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Mengyuan Li
- Department of Hematology, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, China National Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences, Zhejiang Province, The Second Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China.,Cancer Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China
| | - Jiawei Zhang
- Molecular Oncology Program and Department of Diabetes Complications and Metabolism, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Haifeng Zhuang
- Department of Hematology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310009, China
| | - Xuzhao Zhang
- Department of Hematology, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, China National Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences, Zhejiang Province, The Second Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China
| | - Linlin Yang
- Department of Hematology, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, China National Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences, Zhejiang Province, The Second Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China.,Cancer Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China
| | - Jinfan Li
- Department of Pathology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xiaoxian Gan
- Zhejiang Academy of Medical Sciences, Hangzhou 310012, China
| | - Xiaofang Yu
- Cancer Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China
| | - Wendong Huang
- Molecular Oncology Program and Department of Diabetes Complications and Metabolism, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Ying Gu
- Department of Hematology, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, China National Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences, Zhejiang Province, The Second Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China.,Cancer Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China
| | - Rongzhen Xu
- Department of Hematology, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, China National Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences, Zhejiang Province, The Second Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China.,Cancer Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China.,Institute of Hematology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China
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40
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Human Endogenous Retrovirus K Rec forms a Regulatory Loop with MITF that Opposes the Progression of Melanoma to an Invasive Stage. Viruses 2020; 12:v12111303. [PMID: 33202765 PMCID: PMC7696977 DOI: 10.3390/v12111303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2020] [Revised: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The HML2 subfamily of HERV-K (henceforth HERV-K) represents the most recently endogenized retrovirus in the human genome. While the products of certain HERV-K genomic copies are expressed in normal tissues, they are upregulated in several pathological conditions, including various tumors. It remains unclear whether HERV-K(HML2)-encoded products overexpressed in cancer contribute to disease progression or are merely by-products of tumorigenesis. Here, we focus on the regulatory activities of the Long Terminal Repeats (LTR5_Hs) of HERV-K and the potential role of the HERV-K-encoded Rec in melanoma. Our regulatory genomics analysis of LTR5_Hs loci indicates that Melanocyte Inducing Transcription Factor (MITF) (also known as binds to a canonical E-box motif (CA(C/T)GTG) within these elements in proliferative type of melanoma, and that depletion of MITF results in reduced HERV-K expression. In turn, experimentally depleting Rec in a proliferative melanoma cell line leads to lower mRNA levels of MITF and its predicted target genes. Furthermore, Rec knockdown leads to an upregulation of epithelial-to-mesenchymal associated genes and an enhanced invasion phenotype of proliferative melanoma cells. Together these results suggest the existence of a regulatory loop between MITF and Rec that may modulate the transition from proliferative to invasive stages of melanoma. Because HERV-K(HML2) elements are restricted to hominoid primates, these findings might explain certain species-specific features of melanoma progression and point to some limitations of animal models in melanoma studies.
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Cardelli M, Doorn RV, Larcher L, Donato MD, Piacenza F, Pierpaoli E, Giacconi R, Malavolta M, Rachakonda S, Gruis NA, Molven A, Andresen PA, Pjanova D, van den Oord JJ, Provinciali M, Nagore E, Kumar R. Association of HERV-K and LINE-1 hypomethylation with reduced disease-free survival in melanoma patients. Epigenomics 2020; 12:1689-1706. [PMID: 33125285 DOI: 10.2217/epi-2020-0127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Aim: To evaluate CpG methylation of long interspersed nuclear elements 1 (LINE-1) and human endogenous retrovirus K (HERV-K) retroelements as potential prognostic biomarkers in cutaneous melanoma. Materials & methods: Methylation of HERV-K and LINE-1 retroelements was assessed in resected melanoma tissues from 82 patients ranging in age from 14 to 88 years. In addition, nevi from eight patients were included for comparison with nonmalignant melanocytic lesions. Results: Methylation levels were lower in melanomas than in nevi. HERV-K and LINE-1 methylation were decreased in melanoma patients with clinical parameters associated with adverse prognosis, while they were independent of age and gender. Hypomethylation of HERV-K (but not LINE-1) was an independent predictor of reduced disease-free survival. Conclusion: HERV-K hypomethylation can be a potential independent biomarker of melanoma recurrence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maurizio Cardelli
- Advanced Technology Center for Aging Research, Scientific Technological Area, IRCCS INRCA, 60121 Ancona, Italy
| | - Remco van Doorn
- Department of Dermatology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2300RC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Lares Larcher
- Advanced Technology Center for Aging Research, Scientific Technological Area, IRCCS INRCA, 60121 Ancona, Italy
| | - Michela Di Donato
- Advanced Technology Center for Aging Research, Scientific Technological Area, IRCCS INRCA, 60121 Ancona, Italy
| | - Francesco Piacenza
- Advanced Technology Center for Aging Research, Scientific Technological Area, IRCCS INRCA, 60121 Ancona, Italy
| | - Elisa Pierpaoli
- Advanced Technology Center for Aging Research, Scientific Technological Area, IRCCS INRCA, 60121 Ancona, Italy
| | - Robertina Giacconi
- Advanced Technology Center for Aging Research, Scientific Technological Area, IRCCS INRCA, 60121 Ancona, Italy
| | - Marco Malavolta
- Advanced Technology Center for Aging Research, Scientific Technological Area, IRCCS INRCA, 60121 Ancona, Italy
| | - Sivaramakrishna Rachakonda
- Division of Molecular Genetic Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.,Division of Functional Genome Analysis, German Cancer Research Center, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Nelleke A Gruis
- Department of Dermatology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2300RC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Anders Molven
- Gade Laboratory for Pathology, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, N-5020 Bergen, Norway.,Department of Pathology, Haukeland University Hospital, N-5021 Bergen, Norway
| | - Per Arne Andresen
- Department of Pathology, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, 0424 Oslo, Norway
| | - Dace Pjanova
- Latvian Biomedical Research & Study Centre, LV-1067 Riga, Latvia
| | | | - Mauro Provinciali
- Advanced Technology Center for Aging Research, Scientific Technological Area, IRCCS INRCA, 60121 Ancona, Italy
| | - Eduardo Nagore
- Department of Dermatology, Instituto Valenciano de Oncología, 46009 València, Spain
| | - Rajiv Kumar
- Division of Molecular Genetic Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.,Division of Functional Genome Analysis, German Cancer Research Center, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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42
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Gröger V, Wieland L, Naumann M, Meinecke AC, Meinhardt B, Rossner S, Ihling C, Emmer A, Staege MS, Cynis H. Formation of HERV-K and HERV-Fc1 Envelope Family Members is Suppressed on Transcriptional and Translational Level. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21217855. [PMID: 33113941 PMCID: PMC7660216 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21217855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2020] [Revised: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The human genome comprises 8% sequences of retroviral origin, so-called human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs). Most of these proviral sequences are defective, but some possess open reading frames. They can lead to the formation of viral transcripts, when activated by intrinsic and extrinsic factors. HERVs are thought to play a pathological role in inflammatory diseases and cancer. Since the consequences of activated proviral sequences in the human body are largely unexplored, selected envelope proteins of human endogenous retroviruses associated with inflammatory diseases, namely HERV-K18, HERV-K113, and HERV-Fc1, were investigated in the present study. A formation of glycosylated envelope proteins was demonstrated in different mammalian cell lines. Nevertheless, protein maturation seemed to be incomplete as no transport to the plasma membrane was observed. Instead, the proteins remained in the ER where they induced the expression of genes involved in unfolded protein response, such as HSPA5 and sXBP1. Furthermore, low expression levels of native envelope proteins were increased by codon optimization. Cell-free expression systems showed that both the transcriptional and translational level is affected. By generating different codon-optimized variants of HERV-K113 envelope, the influence of single rare t-RNA pools in certain cell lines was demonstrated. The mRNA secondary structure also appears to play an important role in the translation of the tested viral envelope proteins. In summary, the formation of certain HERV proteins is basically possible. However, their complete maturation and thus full biologic activity seems to depend on additional factors that might be disease-specific and await elucidation in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Gröger
- Department of Drug Design and Target Validation, Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Weinbergweg 22, 06120 Halle, Germany; (V.G.); (M.N.); (A.-C.M.)
| | - Lisa Wieland
- Department of Neurology, Medical Faculty, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Ernst-Grube-Str. 40, 06097 Halle, Germany; (L.W.); (B.M.); (A.E.)
- Department of Surgical and Conservative Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical Faculty, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Ernst-Grube-Str. 40, 06097 Halle, Germany
| | - Marcel Naumann
- Department of Drug Design and Target Validation, Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Weinbergweg 22, 06120 Halle, Germany; (V.G.); (M.N.); (A.-C.M.)
| | - Ann-Christin Meinecke
- Department of Drug Design and Target Validation, Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Weinbergweg 22, 06120 Halle, Germany; (V.G.); (M.N.); (A.-C.M.)
| | - Beate Meinhardt
- Department of Neurology, Medical Faculty, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Ernst-Grube-Str. 40, 06097 Halle, Germany; (L.W.); (B.M.); (A.E.)
- Department of Surgical and Conservative Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical Faculty, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Ernst-Grube-Str. 40, 06097 Halle, Germany
| | - Steffen Rossner
- Paul Flechsig Institute for Brain Research, Leipzig University, Liebigstraße 19, 04103 Leipzig, Germany;
| | - Christian Ihling
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry & Bioanalytics, Institute of Pharmacy, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Charles Tanford Protein Center, Kurt-Mothes-Str. 3a, 06120 Halle, Germany;
| | - Alexander Emmer
- Department of Neurology, Medical Faculty, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Ernst-Grube-Str. 40, 06097 Halle, Germany; (L.W.); (B.M.); (A.E.)
| | - Martin S. Staege
- Department of Surgical and Conservative Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical Faculty, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Ernst-Grube-Str. 40, 06097 Halle, Germany
- Correspondence: (M.S.S.); (H.C.); Tel.: +49-345-5577280 (M.S.S.); +49-345-13142835 (H.C.); Fax: +49-345-5577275 (M.S.S.); +49-345-13142801 (H.C.)
| | - Holger Cynis
- Department of Drug Design and Target Validation, Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Weinbergweg 22, 06120 Halle, Germany; (V.G.); (M.N.); (A.-C.M.)
- Correspondence: (M.S.S.); (H.C.); Tel.: +49-345-5577280 (M.S.S.); +49-345-13142835 (H.C.); Fax: +49-345-5577275 (M.S.S.); +49-345-13142801 (H.C.)
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43
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Qi T, Qu Q, Li G, Wang J, Zhu H, Yang Z, Sun Y, Lu Q, Qu J. Function and regulation of the PEA3 subfamily of ETS transcription factors in cancer. Am J Cancer Res 2020; 10:3083-3105. [PMID: 33163259 PMCID: PMC7642666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The PEA3 subfamily is a subgroup of the E26 transformation-specific (ETS) family. Its members, ETV1, ETV4, and ETV5, have been found to be overexpressed in multiple cancers. The deregulation of ETV1, ETV4, and ETV5 induces cell growth, invasion, and migration in various tumor cells, leading to tumor progression, metastasis, and drug resistance. Therefore, exploring drugs or therapeutic targets that target the PEA3 subfamily may contribute to the clinical treatment of tumor patients. In this review, we introduce the structures and functions of the PEA3 subfamily members, systematically review their main roles in various tumor cells, analyze their prognostic and diagnostic value, and, finally, introduce several molecular targets and therapeutic drugs targeting ETV1, ETV4, and ETV5. We conclude that targeting a series of upstream regulators and downstream target genes of the PEA3 subfamily may be an effective strategy for the treatment of ETV1/ETV4/ETV5-overexpressing tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingting Qi
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South UniversityChangsha 410011, PR China
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, Central South UniversityChangsha 410011, PR China
| | - Qiang Qu
- Department of Pharmacy, Xiangya Hospital, Central South UniversityChangsha 410007, PR China
| | - Guohua Li
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South UniversityChangsha 410011, PR China
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, Central South UniversityChangsha 410011, PR China
| | - Jiaojiao Wang
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South UniversityChangsha 410011, PR China
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, Central South UniversityChangsha 410011, PR China
| | - Haihong Zhu
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South UniversityChangsha 410011, PR China
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, Central South UniversityChangsha 410011, PR China
| | - Zhi Yang
- Department of General Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South UniversityChangsha 410007, PR China
| | - Yuesheng Sun
- Department of General Surgery, The Third Clinical College of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou People’s HospitalWenzhou 325000, PR China
| | - Qiong Lu
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South UniversityChangsha 410011, PR China
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, Central South UniversityChangsha 410011, PR China
| | - Jian Qu
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South UniversityChangsha 410011, PR China
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, Central South UniversityChangsha 410011, PR China
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44
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Cao W, Kang R, Xiang Y, Hong J. Human Endogenous Retroviruses in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma: Biological Functions and Clinical Values. Onco Targets Ther 2020; 13:7877-7885. [PMID: 32821127 PMCID: PMC7423347 DOI: 10.2147/ott.s259534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) form an important part of the human genome, commonly losing their coding ability and exhibiting only rare expression in healthy tissues to promote the stability of the genome. However, overexpression of HERVs has been observed in various malignant tumors, including clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), and may be closely correlated with tumorigenesis and progression. HERVs may activate the interferon (IFN) signaling pathway by a viral mimicry process to enhance antitumor immune responses. There is increasing interest in the diagnostic and prognostic value of HERVs in cancers, and they may be candidate targets for tumor immunotherapy. The review will introduce the biological functions of HERVs in ccRCC and their clinical value, especially in regard to immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjun Cao
- Department of Oncology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People's Republic of China
| | - Ran Kang
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, People's Republic of China
| | - Yining Xiang
- Department of Oncology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People's Republic of China
| | - Jidong Hong
- Department of Oncology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People's Republic of China
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45
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Geis FK, Goff SP. Silencing and Transcriptional Regulation of Endogenous Retroviruses: An Overview. Viruses 2020; 12:v12080884. [PMID: 32823517 PMCID: PMC7472088 DOI: 10.3390/v12080884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2020] [Revised: 08/03/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Almost half of the human genome is made up of transposable elements (TEs), and about 8% consists of endogenous retroviruses (ERVs). ERVs are remnants of ancient exogenous retrovirus infections of the germ line. Most TEs are inactive and not detrimental to the host. They are tightly regulated to ensure genomic stability of the host and avoid deregulation of nearby gene loci. Histone-based posttranslational modifications such as H3K9 trimethylation are one of the main silencing mechanisms. Trim28 is one of the identified master regulators of silencing, which recruits most prominently the H3K9 methyltransferase Setdb1, among other factors. Sumoylation and ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling factors seem to contribute to proper localization of Trim28 to ERV sequences and promote Trim28 interaction with Setdb1. Additionally, DNA methylation as well as RNA-mediated targeting of TEs such as piRNA-based silencing play important roles in ERV regulation. Despite the involvement of ERV overexpression in several cancer types, autoimmune diseases, and viral pathologies, ERVs are now also appreciated for their potential positive role in evolution. ERVs can provide new regulatory gene elements or novel binding sites for transcription factors, and ERV gene products can even be repurposed for the benefit of the host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franziska K. Geis
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA;
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Stephen P. Goff
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA;
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-212-305-3794
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46
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Salavatiha Z, Soleimani-Jelodar R, Jalilvand S. The role of endogenous retroviruses-K in human cancer. Rev Med Virol 2020; 30:1-13. [PMID: 32734655 DOI: 10.1002/rmv.2142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Revised: 06/22/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
It is known that human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) constitute almost 8% of the human genome. Although the expression of HERVs from the human genome is tightly regulated, different exogenous and endogenous factors could trigger HERV activation. Aberrant expression of different HERVs may potentially cause a variety of diseases such as neurological and autoimmune diseases as well as cancer. It is suggested that HERV-K can induce cancer through different mechanisms that are discussed. The interplay between some tumor viruses and HERV-K seems to be a key player in progression of viral-associated cancers because elevated levels of Rec and Np9 proteins are observed in several cancers. The frequent over expression of HERV proteins and some specific antibodies in cancer cells could be considered as suitable prognostic and therapeutic biomarkers in diagnosis and treatment of cancers. The expression of HERV proteins in cancers and development of immune responses against them may also be used as targets for cancer immunotherapy. Further studies are warranted to evaluate the role of HERVs in cancer formation and use of different HERV proteins in developing new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for cancer treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahra Salavatiha
- Department of Virology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Rahim Soleimani-Jelodar
- Department of Virology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Somayeh Jalilvand
- Department of Virology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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47
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Xue B, Sechi LA, Kelvin DJ. Human Endogenous Retrovirus K (HML-2) in Health and Disease. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:1690. [PMID: 32765477 PMCID: PMC7380069 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are derived from exogenous retrovirus infections in the evolution of primates and account for about 8% of the human genome. They were considered as silent passengers within our genomes for a long time, however, reactivation of HERVs has been associated with tumors and autoimmune diseases, especially the HERV-K (HML-2) family, the most recent integration groups with the least number of mutations and the most biologically active to encode functional retroviral proteins and produce retrovirus-like particles. Increasing studies are committed to determining the potential role of HERV-K (HML-2) in pathogenicity. Although there is still no evidence for HERV-K (HML-2) as a direct cause of diseases, aberrant expression profiles of the HERV-K (HML-2) transcripts and their regulatory function to their proximal host-genes were identified in different diseases. In this review, we summarized the advances between HERV-K (HML-2) and diseases to provide basis for further studies on the causal relationship between HERV-K (HML-2) and diseases. We recommended more attention to polymorphic integrated HERV-K (HML-2) loci which could be genetic causative factors and be associated with inter-individual differences in tumorigenesis and autoimmune diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bei Xue
- Division of Immunology, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Canadian Center for Vaccinology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Leonardo A. Sechi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
- Mediterranean Center for Disease Control, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - David J. Kelvin
- Division of Immunology, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Canadian Center for Vaccinology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
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48
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Vergara Bermejo A, Ragonnaud E, Daradoumis J, Holst P. Cancer Associated Endogenous Retroviruses: Ideal Immune Targets for Adenovirus-Based Immunotherapy. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21144843. [PMID: 32650622 PMCID: PMC7402293 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21144843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2020] [Revised: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer is a major challenge in our societies, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) about 1/6 deaths were cancer related in 2018 and it is considered the second leading cause of death globally. Immunotherapies have changed the paradigm of oncologic treatment for several cancers where the field had fallen short in providing competent therapies. Despite the improvement, broadly acting and highly effective therapies capable of eliminating or preventing human cancers with insufficient mutated antigens are still missing. Adenoviral vector-based vaccines are a successful tool in the treatment of various diseases including cancer; however, their success has been limited. In this review we discuss the potential of adenovirus as therapeutic tools and the current developments to use them against cancer. More specifically, we examine how to use them to target endogenous retroviruses (ERVs). ERVs, comprising 8% of the human genome, have been detected in several cancers, while they remain silent in healthy tissues. Their low immunogenicity together with their immunosuppressive capacity aid cancer to escape immunosurveillance. In that regard, virus-like-vaccine (VLV) technology, combining adenoviral vectors and virus-like-particles (VLPs), can be ideal to target ERVs and elicit B-cell responses, as well as CD8+ and CD4+ T-cells responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amaia Vergara Bermejo
- InProTher, Bioinnovation Institute, Copenhagen Bio Science Park, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark; (E.R.); (J.D.)
- Correspondence: (A.V.B.); (P.H.)
| | - Emeline Ragonnaud
- InProTher, Bioinnovation Institute, Copenhagen Bio Science Park, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark; (E.R.); (J.D.)
| | - Joana Daradoumis
- InProTher, Bioinnovation Institute, Copenhagen Bio Science Park, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark; (E.R.); (J.D.)
- Center for Medical Parasitology, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Peter Holst
- InProTher, Bioinnovation Institute, Copenhagen Bio Science Park, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark; (E.R.); (J.D.)
- Center for Medical Parasitology, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
- Correspondence: (A.V.B.); (P.H.)
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49
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Panova V, Attig J, Young GR, Stoye JP, Kassiotis G. Antibody-induced internalisation of retroviral envelope glycoproteins is a signal initiation event. PLoS Pathog 2020; 16:e1008605. [PMID: 32453763 PMCID: PMC7274472 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2020] [Revised: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
As obligate parasites, viruses highjack, modify and repurpose the cellular machinery for their own replication. Viral proteins have, therefore, evolved biological functions, such as signalling potential, that alter host cell physiology in ways that are still incompletely understood. Retroviral envelope glycoproteins interact with several host proteins, extracellularly with their cellular receptor and anti-envelope antibodies, and intracellularly with proteins of the cytoskeleton or sorting, endocytosis and recirculation pathways. Here, we examined the impact of endogenous retroviral envelope glycoprotein expression and interaction with host proteins, particularly antibodies, on the cell, independently of retroviral infection. We found that in the commonly used C57BL/6 substrains of mice, where murine leukaemia virus (MLV) envelope glycoproteins are expressed by several endogenous MLV proviruses, the highest expressed MLV envelope glycoprotein is under the control of an immune-responsive cellular promoter, thus linking MLV envelope glycoprotein expression with immune activation. We further showed that antibody ligation induces extensive internalisation from the plasma membrane into endocytic compartments of MLV envelope glycoproteins, which are not normally subject to constitutive endocytosis. Importantly, antibody binding and internalisation of MLV envelope glycoproteins initiates signalling cascades in envelope-expressing murine lymphocytic cell lines, leading to cellular activation. Similar effects were observed by MLV envelope glycoprotein ligation by its cellular receptor mCAT-1, and by overexpression in human lymphocytic cells, where it required an intact tyrosine-based YXXΦ motif in the envelope glycoprotein cytoplasmic tail. Together, these results suggest that signalling potential is a general property of retroviral envelope glycoproteins and, therefore, a target for intervention. The outcome of viral infection depends on the balance between host immunity and the ability of the virus to avoid, evade or subvert it. The envelope glycoproteins of diverse viruses, including retroviruses, are displayed on the surface of virions and of infected cells and thus constitute the major target of the host antibody response. Antibody responses are elicited not only against infectious viruses we acquire during our life-history, but also against the numerous retroviral envelopes encoded by our genome and acquired during our species’ life-history. In turn, viruses have evolved ways to reduce exposure of their envelope glycoproteins to the host immune system, including constitutive endocytosis or antibody-induced internalisation. Using murine leukaemia viruses as models of infectious and endogenous retroviruses, we show that antibody binding to retroviral envelopes induces extensive internalisation of the envelope-antibody complex and initiates signalling cascades, ultimately leading to transcriptional activation of envelope glycoprotein-expressing lymphocytes. We further show that expression of endogenous retroviral envelopes is coupled to physiological lymphocyte activation, integrating them with the immune response. These findings reveal an unexpected layer of interaction between the host antibody response and retroviral envelope glycoproteins, which could be considered immune receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veera Panova
- Retroviral Immunology, The Francis Crick Institute, United Kingdom
| | - Jan Attig
- Retroviral Immunology, The Francis Crick Institute, United Kingdom
| | - George R. Young
- Retrovirus-Host Interactions, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan P. Stoye
- Retrovirus-Host Interactions, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - George Kassiotis
- Retroviral Immunology, The Francis Crick Institute, United Kingdom
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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Tatkiewicz W, Dickie J, Bedford F, Jones A, Atkin M, Kiernan M, Maze EA, Agit B, Farnham G, Kanapin A, Belshaw R. Characterising a human endogenous retrovirus(HERV)-derived tumour-associated antigen: enriched RNA-Seq analysis of HERV-K(HML-2) in mantle cell lymphoma cell lines. Mob DNA 2020; 11:9. [PMID: 32055257 PMCID: PMC7007669 DOI: 10.1186/s13100-020-0204-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2019] [Accepted: 01/14/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The cell-surface attachment protein (Env) of the HERV-K(HML-2) lineage of endogenous retroviruses is a potentially attractive tumour-associated antigen for anti-cancer immunotherapy. The human genome contains around 100 integrated copies (called proviruses or loci) of the HERV-K(HML-2) virus and we argue that it is important for therapy development to know which and how many of these contribute to protein expression, and how this varies across tissues. We measured relative provirus expression in HERV-K(HML-2), using enriched RNA-Seq analysis with both short- and long-read sequencing, in three Mantle Cell Lymphoma cell lines (JVM2, Granta519 and REC1). We also confirmed expression of the Env protein in two of our cell lines using Western blotting, and analysed provirus expression data from all other relevant published studies. RESULTS Firstly, in both our and other reanalysed studies, approximately 10% of the transcripts mapping to HERV-K(HML-2) came from Env-encoding proviruses. Secondly, in one cell line the majority of the protein expression appears to come from one provirus (12q14.1). Thirdly, we find a strong tissue-specific pattern of provirus expression. CONCLUSIONS A possible dependency of Env expression on a single provirus, combined with the earlier observation that this provirus is not present in all individuals and a general pattern of tissue-specific expression among proviruses, has serious implications for future HERV-K(HML-2)-targeted immunotherapy. Further research into HERV-K(HML-2) as a possible tumour-associated antigen in blood cancers requires a more targeted, proteome-based, screening protocol that will consider these polymorphisms within HERV-K(HML-2). We include a plan (and necessary alignments) for such work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Witold Tatkiewicz
- Peninsula Medical School, Faculty of Health: Medicine, Dentistry and Human Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
| | - James Dickie
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health: Medicine, Dentistry and Human Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
| | - Franchesca Bedford
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health: Medicine, Dentistry and Human Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
| | - Alexander Jones
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health: Medicine, Dentistry and Human Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
| | - Mark Atkin
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health: Medicine, Dentistry and Human Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
| | - Michele Kiernan
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health: Medicine, Dentistry and Human Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
| | - Emmanuel Atangana Maze
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health: Medicine, Dentistry and Human Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
| | - Bora Agit
- Peninsula Medical School, Faculty of Health: Medicine, Dentistry and Human Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
| | - Garry Farnham
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health: Medicine, Dentistry and Human Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
| | - Alexander Kanapin
- Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Current address: Institute of Translational Biomedicine, Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - Robert Belshaw
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health: Medicine, Dentistry and Human Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
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